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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29019162">I'll Follow You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/minecraftgender/pseuds/minecraftgender'>minecraftgender</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Supernatural, ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>...unless?, ADHD Dio Brando, Amnesia, Description of ADHD, Fight Scene, Forgery, Gen, Graphic Description of Corpses, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Murder, Necromancy, Nightmares, Sam Is Trying His Best, The bee movie joke was not intentional, and also realized that dio does kill people, and i refuse to change it, but it is there, changed to graphic violence, description of dissociation, description of panic attacks, ill add more tags and characters as i think of them, is this considered kidnapping, or is it... jk, platonic marriage, since i do describe a dead body, whoops</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:40:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>38,512</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29019162</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/minecraftgender/pseuds/minecraftgender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dio wakes up in an unfamiliar room with Dean Winchester, who tells him that he has been raised from the dead. Dio doesn't remember anything about himself, but through the power of friendship and necromancy, maybe he can find himself, and even a new family.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester &amp; Dio Brando</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He opened his eyes. Where was he? He tried to remember the last thing he had done before apparently falling asleep, but his mind refused to show him. With his brain betraying him, the man decided to begin to take in his surroundings in hope that it would give him some sort of clue. Above him was a simple ceiling, plain brown, and looking like it was made of brick. The man tried turning his head and, to his great relief, it moved for him. To his left was a table, where a large body sat perfectly still. He thought he could be mistaken but it looked like the body didn’t have a head. He was afraid to find out if it did or not. Nothing else of interest lay to his left, so the man turned to the right. </p>
<p>His right side was much more interesting. A man, a living one at that, sat in a chair next to him, watching him. He smiled as their eyes met. He was dressed plainly, in a dark tee shirt and jeans. His short hair was stuck up by some sort of gel. His green eyes looked tired. </p>
<p>“Welcome back to the land of the living Dio Brando. I’m Dean Winchester,” he said.</p>
<p>Dio had no idea how to respond. He couldn’t think of anyone he knew named Dean. Now that he focused on it, he couldn’t think of anyone he knew in the first place. That worried him a bit. </p>
<p>“I’m guessing you have questions. Don’t worry, I’ll answer some. First, I’m a necromancer. You were dead. Actually, you were really dead. Turned to dust. Probably my biggest challenge yet,” Dean said. “The first few times I tried to get you up and moving it didn’t work. I guess that other body over there isn’t yours. I had to reconstruct you.”</p>
<p>“I’m… dead?” Was all Dio could think to ask. Emotions he didn’t know how to identify swirled through him. How had he died? Was Dean a friend of his? The only feeling Dio could actually place at the moment was confusion. </p>
<p>Dean chuckled before answering. “You were. I brought you back, lucky for you. But it took a lot of time and effort and you owe me,” he said.</p>
<p>“I don’t think I have any money,” Dio responded. </p>
<p>“I figured as much. That’s why you’re going to do something else for me. Work with me. You’ll be my apprentice,” Dean told him. </p>
<p>Dio pondered that for a moment. Be Dean’s apprentice? He would learn to raise the dead, which did intrigue him quite a bit. And Dean seemed to be the only person who actually knew his name or anything about him. If he gave the necromancer what he wanted maybe in turn he could help Dio find out more about himself.</p>
<p>“I believe I don’t have much choice in this matter. But I’m certainly willing to help you. You know more about me than I do anyhow,” Dio finally responded. </p>
<p>Dean nodded. “Alright Dio. Get some rest and regain your strength. You have a lot of work ahead of you,” he said, before standing up and walking towards a door behind him. </p>
<p>“Wait, Dean?” Dio called out. “Should I be concerned that I have no memory?” he asked.</p>
<p>Dean turned around, his expression unreadable. “No, not concerned. It’s a pretty common side effect of dying, especially if it was violent. It’s pretty hit or miss with the memory.”</p>
<p>Dio sighed. That wasn’t good. Something seemed off about this whole thing but he just couldn’t figure out what it was. Maybe if he rested more things would come back to him.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>Fire burned hot around Dio, yet he felt nothing. He couldn’t feel his own body. He couldn’t move. None of his limbs would respond. He tried looking down, as much as his eyes would allow him, and he found himself wrapped in someone’s arms. The white shirt covering them was tattered and dirty. Specks of blood were spattered on it. Was that Dio’s blood? He didn’t know.</p>
<p>He tried looking up. The person above him had no face, just a blank darkness where it was supposed to be, as if it was someone Dio had forgotten. The man’s dark hair was messy. His neck looked thick and strong. Dio realized from his angle that he was being held up against this person’s chest by a tight, strong grip. He still couldn’t feel his body past his neck. Where was he?</p>
<p>Dio looked back up at the face above him, and suddenly bright white lights lit up the darkness of the face where eyes should have been. They seemed to stare into his very soul. Dio couldn’t speak to ask what was happening, but the eyes seemed to know his thoughts. His feelings. He could swear he saw a mouth smiling at him from the deep void of the face.</p>
<p>The eyes began to fade as a voice spoke directly into Dio’s brain, “I love you.” They faded completely away and Dio was left alone with the fire around him. He tried to move and get himself and the body out of there to no avail. He could finally feel the fire now, burning his face. The smoke scorched his eyes and nose. He tried to scream for help but nothing came out of his mouth. </p>
<p>Suddenly, a young woman appeared through the fire. Her blue eyes were blown wide with terror as she saw Dio in the man’s arms. Her blonde hair looked scorched, and her beautiful dress was in shambles. She ran toward Dio as quick as her seemingly injured legs could take her. He tried to reach out but instead of his body, one of the arms holding him reached out toward her. Dio’s mind was in a panic. He needed help. Unthinking, he tried to get up and the body did it instead. Dio fell to the floor. And the body stood up instead. The woman stopped in her tracks, terrified.</p>
<p>“JOJO!” She screamed. </p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>“PLEASE, HELP ME SOMEBODY!” Dio screamed as he sat up. He could feel his body again, and he was sweating, though the air around him felt cool. The fire was gone now, which calmed him a bit. To his right was a man he didn’t recognize. Dio scrambled backwards with a scream and fell off the table he was on. </p>
<p>“Hey, hey, take it easy. It’s me, Dean, remember me? From earlier?” The man said.</p>
<p>Dio remembered, and nodded in response to Dean. His heart still raced, but now the nightmare was fading. The woman’s scream though, that was still clear in his head. Jojo. Perhaps this ‘Jojo’ was some connection to him.</p>
<p>After a moment of struggling, Dio made it to his unsteady feet. Dean reached out a hand and Dio took it. He was led through the door that Dean had gone through earlier into a small living space. Against the wall to his left was a counter with a sink and a small, white box with a handle on it, as well as a bed. Directly in front of them was a cabinet and a door. On the right sat a couch. The floor had a foreign looking rug, and a coffee table with a stack of books on it. Dean led Dio to the couch and helped him sit down.</p>
<p>“Alright,” Dean said, sitting down and grabbing a book from the table. “Let’s get your mind off of that dream. I want you to start by reading this and working through it. I started here, and you see what I can do. It’s a little outdated, but it’ll be great to introduce you to this.”</p>
<p>Dean handed the book to Dio. The cover was worn and old in the sort of way that books were meant to be. The title was in simple black lettering across the top of the tan cover. An Introduction to Necromancy: A Beginner’s Guide to Successfully Reanimating The Dead by Serana Volkihar. Dio wondered if the cover was real leather. He opened it to the first page. </p>
<p>Chapter 1: Basic Magic<br/>I know that many reading this book may already know how to cast basic spells, but I would like to take a moment to refresh your mind on some important spells that may be useful for what you are intending on doing. I would also like to allow those who may not know how to use their magic to gain access to everything they will need right here in one comprehensive guide. Thus, I will be covering how to cast simple spells. I will teach you the following: Flames, Frostbite, Sparks, Healing, Calm, Bound Sword, Conjure Familiar, and Reanimate Corpse. I know this may seem like a lot, and there’s only one spell for actually raising anything, but these are the basics that you will need to be successful. I trust that once you are through with this book you will go out and find your own way and learn new methods.</p>
<p>As Dio scanned through the book, his vision was caught by unfamiliar words. They practically pulled his eyes to them, burning themselves into his memory. Somehow, some way, he knew he could project fire and ice from his hands. Dio kept reading, poring over the ideas now introduced into his brain. Serana was certainly thorough in explaining to Dio how to tap into his magic, something he had no idea he could even do. </p>
<p>As he reached the end of the chapter, the text told him to practice what he had learned. He shut the book and looked over to Dean, who had fallen asleep on the couch next to him with a book in his hand. Dio decided to go outside on his own to begin practicing the spells he had just learned. He opened the door that he had seen earlier and found himself outside in a small yard. It was nighttime and the area seemed quite secluded. As he looked around the sandy lot, he noticed some targets that had been fixed on the fence. </p>
<p>He planted himself a fair distance from the targets and began to shoot fire, ice, and sparks at them. By the time Dio felt comfortable with them the moon was high above him. He continued to practice, now attempting the rest of the spells with varying degrees of success. Finally, as the sun came up, Dio was confident in all of the spells except for Reanimate Corpse, which Serana had instructed he leave alone for the time being. </p>
<p>Dio turned around and realized Dean was standing in the doorway, watching him. The man said nothing, but he smirked, and motioned for Dio to come inside. Dio obeyed, and shut the door behind himself. </p>
<p>“Good work. Take a few days to rest before we keep going,” Dean said.</p>
<p>“Do I have to? I’m honestly a bit invested now.” Dio whined.</p>
<p>He thought he had been convincing, but Dean just shook his head and chuckled. “I had the same vigor, but if you keep up that pace you’ll strain yourself. Take it easy with me for a couple days, alright?” Dean said.</p>
<p>Chapter 2: Basic Alchemy<br/>By this point, you should be proficient at most of the spells that I covered in the last chapter. Now, let’s dive into some alchemical ingredients that you may need. If you have trouble gathering them, local apothecaries and shops may have some of the harder to get items. It never hurts to ask. I will also teach you how to grow these ingredients yourself, though some may need very specific conditions to thrive. Thankfully, next chapter will cover how to restore any lost plants. </p>
<p>“I already have a lot of the ingredients you just read about,” Dean said as Dio closed the book. The blonde nodded in response. He had assumed so.</p>
<p>Dean stood from the couch where they were sitting, and motioned Dio into the next room. They went through what Dean had growing there, with Dio being quizzed on what each ingredient did. It took several hours, but when they were finally through, Dean offered to buy them food. </p>
<p>The two left the house and walked down the path, talking about what was coming next, and some tidbits about Dean’s old life. Most of what the man seemed comfortable sharing involved his younger brother, Sam. Dio could tell how much Dean cared for his brother. He didn’t ask where he was, or if Dean missed him. Dean didn’t seem to be the sort of person to talk about that kind of thing, and Dio wasn’t about to push too far on his only friend.</p>
<p>Chapter 3: Reanimating Plants<br/>Now that we have covered the kinds of plants you may need, it’s inevitable that they will die on you. Don’t worry, you’ll soon have an easy time bringing them back. The simple Reanimate Corpse spell you know is actually quite effective on plants! It took some time for me to realize this, which I am now mentally smacking myself for. You will be spared from the pain of losing a rare ingredient or a plant that may be important to you, like a flower from a lover. Just be careful not to go too far, as the consequences could be quite annoying.</p>
<p>Dead bushes lay scattered around the yard. Dio prepared his spell, aimed at the bush in front of him, and fired. For a moment it looked like he was successful, until the plant suddenly burst into flames. It quickly wilted back into death, and then to ashes. Dean’s laughter shone through the hot daytime air.</p>
<p>“Damn, Dio! I didn’t think God would still want to talk to me!” He said, still coming down from his laughter. Dio turned around and glared at his friend. </p>
<p>“Very funny Dean,” He said in an annoyed tone. He couldn’t be angry though, he had to admit it was pretty funny. </p>
<p>Dean set up the next bush, still chuckling to himself at his own joke. Dio tried again, aiming his concentration on his target. Again, the bush caught fire before it could fully come back to life. Again, he tried on another bush, and then yet another.</p>
<p>Dio groaned and lowered his hands, frustrated with himself. Everything else had come so easily, but now that it came time to actually raise something, here he was failing miserably. Dean seemed to take some pity on him, and sauntered over with a glass of water.</p>
<p>Handing it to Dio, he said, “You’re trying too hard. If you stop concentrating so much on the spell and more on what you want from the bush it’ll do what you need it to. Just take a deep breath and let go, like if you were diving into a lake or something. Trust yourself.”</p>
<p>Dio took the water and nodded. He sucked it down quickly and handed the now empty cup back to Dean. After a moment of silence Dio readied himself to try again. Instead of concentrating on what his hands and his magic were doing, he closed his eyes imagined a flowering bush in front of him. He took a deep breath and let his magic go from his hands. </p>
<p>Dean clapping made Dio open his eyes, and there it was, a green, flowering bush. Finally. He had done it. Now to do it again he supposed. Practice makes perfect, and it didn’t take long for Dio to pick up on his new skill. </p>
<p>Chapter 4: Reanimating Small Animals<br/>Now that you have shown proficiency with plants it’s time to move on to something a bit more difficult. Small animals such as insects, lizards, and rodents may not have human consciousness, but they are intelligent, which makes them more difficult to raise. I personally have never tried to raise a lizard, since they don’t live where I am, but it will work all the same. In this chapter I will guide your spell to successfully reignite the brain of a small creature.</p>
<p>Dio didn’t expect Dean to return from the bathroom with anything in his hands, and he very nearly thought it was something far more disgusting than it really was. A small, shriveled lizard lay in the man’s hands. A perfect specimen for Dio’s first attempt. The two headed outside, where it was cloudy, but still hot. </p>
<p>“Might storm later,” Dean remarked as he set the lizard down. </p>
<p>Dio nodded. He began to prepare the spell, and tried focusing on the little lizard. To his dismay, he realized too late that he had forgotten what he had learned a few days before. He had focused too hard on the lizard, but this time, instead of the body spontaneously combusting, something shot from Dio himself, and the lizard was gone in an instant. </p>
<p>The blonde turned to his companion and found Dean staring at him, shocked. </p>
<p>“I, uh, didn’t know I could do that,” Dio told him. </p>
<p>“We can look into that when the storm starts,” Dean responded. Thunder rumbled in the distance as if to emphasize what he said. </p>
<p>Dio turned back to the lizard, somewhat defeated. His gaze traveled around the yard, looking for anything he could try again on. Finally, his eyes fell on a fat sand rat that seemed to have starved to death near one corner of the small house. He moved a bit closer to it, and concentrated again, this time, focusing on charging the spell, and then on the rat coming to life, and running off. </p>
<p>Dio fired his magic, and to his great joy, the rodent leaped up and stood where it had once laid. It looked at him with it’s little black eyes. It stayed there for several minutes before it decided to become bored of Dio and scurried off to do its own thing.</p>
<p>The sound of raindrops accompanied Dean’s footsteps as he stepped toward the shelter of the porch. He offered his hand to Dio, who accepted it, and allowed himself to be led inside. Dean wandered over to a small box that sat in the corner of the room by itself. He pressed a button and the machine whirred, the screen coming to life. </p>
<p>“Let’s do some research on… whatever that was out there,” Dean said.</p>
<p>Dio nodded in agreement as Dean did some things with the magic box. As he worked, he explained what a computer was, and explained the internet to him. The moment Dean opened the browser, as he called it, and a multitude of explicit images popped up onto the screen.</p>
<p>“Whoops, looks like I left some, uh, research open,” Dean remarked.</p>
<p>Dio smirked. “Don’t you think ‘research’ is a bit of a stretch?” He asked. Dead simply smiled.</p>
<p>Closing the page, Dean opened a new ‘website’ to search for their query. Several ‘links’ came up when Dean looked up “Lasers shooting from eyes?”. Dean selected the first one.</p>
<p>A web page popped up with a wheel logo in the top left corner. The header of the page read “Vampires”. Dean read out loud to his companion, detailing properties of vampires and their powers. Every point matched things Dio had realized about himself. </p>
<p>“Well.” Dio said.</p>
<p>“Yeah. That’s… sure something,” Dean replied. “You better not eat me! I’ve met some vampires before, they were mean sons of bitches.”</p>
<p>Dio laughed. “We’ll have to see about that. I may be unable to resist my carnal desires.”</p>
<p>“Oh shut UP.”</p>
<p>Chapter 5: Reanimating Medium Animals<br/>Larger creatures, with higher intelligence may prove slightly more difficult for you to raise. If you run into trouble, don’t give up. Keep the guidelines I have laid out for you in mind and remember to concentrate. You must understand the minds of such animals, like pigs, dogs, or goats, thus if you have worked with them before, you can begin to understand how their minds work and how to guide them to your will. Their bodies will follow. </p>
<p>Vague memories of a black and white dog played through Dio’s head. He couldn’t remember the dog’s name, or much about him. He hadn’t told Dean about his dreams, or the memories of a dog. He was a vampire, he must have lived for hundreds of years. There was no way a dog, especially one as vague as he remembered, could lead him to his past. </p>
<p>One thing Dio did remember was that he didn’t care much for dogs. When he saw them, thoughts plagued him, pushing him to injure the animal, much to his growing horror. He didn’t want to harm anything, not anymore if he did so in the past. It took a lot to even think about drinking human blood as Dean’s website had described. Had he been a bad person in the past, to have thoughts like this? He was almost afraid to know, but he was so desperate to find himself that he decided he needed to brave his past sins. </p>
<p>Dio didn’t notice Dean walk in the door holding something until the man was right on him. He thought he had been imagining the smell of blood until he looked up, startled. Dean was carrying a dog, limp in his arms. Anxiety gripped Dio’s chest at the smell of the beast’s flesh. His stomach growled. No, he wouldn’t allow himself that thought. </p>
<p>“I found this poor thing dead on the side of the road. Let’s fix him up,” Dean said, ignoring the obvious hunger signals from Dio’s body. </p>
<p>Dio nodded, and stood up slowly. Every muscle in his body was tense as his mind begged him to lunge at his companion and rip the animal from him. </p>
<p>Human food isn’t enough, you know this. You need food. You need it. Take it from him. Consume. Eat it. Take it. You need it. Kill him, take his blood. </p>
<p>“Dio? You ok? You look a little more pale than normal.” Dean interrupted Dio’s thoughts. “Woah, hey are you crying? What’s the matter?”</p>
<p>Dean set the dog down on the floor several feet away from them, and walked back over to Dio. The vampire backed up. If Dean touched him he could do something… bad. He didn’t want to hurt his friend, but if the instinct took over, if he got too close… Dio didn’t want to think about what would happen. He would be by himself. </p>
<p>“Dio? Talk to me, what’s wrong?”</p>
<p>He couldn’t think at all. His mouth didn’t work. All he could do was stand there. </p>
<p>He was sitting. When had he sat down? Where was Dean? What happened to the dog? That was the last thing Dio could remember happening. He realized he wasn’t even in the living room anymore. And Dean was against the wall, working on the dog. Dio sighed. Dean turned around and smiled when he saw that Dio was moving.</p>
<p>“Hey, feeling better?” He asked.</p>
<p>Dio nodded, “I’m not sure what happened to me. I can’t remember anything in the last few minutes,” He said.</p>
<p>“Few minutes, are you kidding? You’ve been sitting there looking dead for hours. I was getting worried,” Dean replied. His expression reflected his words, concern blatant on his pretty features.</p>
<p>“I don’t know. I just want to get to work and forget about it,” Dio said. His stomach was twisted in knots and empty, but he pushed it to the back of his mind.</p>
<p>He stepped over to the table and assessed the dog’s body. It didn’t look too bad, but Dean said it was on the side of the road, so it had probably been hit by a car. Internal damage then. He prepared his healing spell and targeted the dog, fixing any ailment that may be in there. A slight glow enveloped the animal. Next, he switched to his Reanimate Corpse spell, aiming at the dog. He made sure to breathe and focus on a living dog. </p>
<p>It worked. Stuttering breaths entered the beast’s lungs and its eyes began to open. Dio breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. Despite his unsavory thoughts earlier, he had actually succeeded in bringing the dog back. He glanced at Dean, and caught him smiling. The men grinned at each other. </p>
<p>“Good job. I’ll release this guy and find more practice animals for you over the next couple days. Let’s get some dinner,” Dean told him.</p>
<p>Chapter 6: Reanimating Large Animals<br/>Imagine something with me for a moment. You are out traveling on your trusty horse, when suddenly it suffers a heart attack and dies. Oh, no! Whatever will you do? Remember that larger animals take more effort to raise, but keep relaxed. It will put strain on your body, so I would suggest doing a bit of physical training if you don’t already. Thankfully for you, the larger the animal, the smaller the brain, so they’ll be easy to control. </p>
<p>“Dean, where the hell are you taking me?”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about it,” Dean said. “you just need to focus on your spells.”</p>
<p>Dio didn’t respond. They were in the middle of the desert, and the air conditioning was barely keeping the interior of the car cool. The vampire turned to stare out the window at the nothing outside. The rumble of the engine soothed his mild nerves as the sand sped past them.</p>
<p>Finally, the car rolled to a stop and Dean shut off the engine. He got out of the car without saying anything, leaving Dio to trail behind him. In the sand lay a huge dead cat. Dio stared at it, nervous.</p>
<p>“Dean, you can’t possibly want me to raise… that?” He asked. “It will surely kill both of us. I mean, look at those paws.”</p>
<p>“Dude, you’re a vampire. You can just do the eye laser thing and eat it. I know the point of raising these animals is to keep them alive but you’ve been acting weird and I think its hunger. You aren’t eating people right? There’s no problems with eating animals,” Dean said to him.</p>
<p>Dio sighed, and prepared his spells. It took little effort to fix the injuries on the poor cat, but raising it proved difficult. He nearly lost control of its mind before it suddenly went still and stared at him. He wondered if it was going to be friendly, and by some miracle, it walked right up to him. He sighed, whispered an apology for doing this to it, and focused his energy into his eyes. The animal was dead in seconds.</p>
<p>The cheetah’s flesh melted into Dio’s hands as he absorbed its blood and nutrients. In a matter of seconds, all that was left was bones. Dio glanced up and saw Dean staring at him in awe. He glanced away, embarrassed at Dean seeing him kill something so easily. </p>
<p>“That’s uh, pretty different from any vampire I’ve seen,” Dean said after a moment. “Not that I’m put off, that was pretty cool,” he finally added. </p>
<p>“I suppose it’s not a bad thing, as long as you’re comfortable with me,” Dio told his companion. “You’re my only friend at the moment, I really would hate to lose you.”</p>
<p>Dean smiled at that. “You’re kinda my only friend too. But that’s not a conversation for the middle of the desert. Let’s get back to Baby and head home. It’s hot as hell.”</p>
<p>Dio nodded and stood up, leaving the bones and following Dean back to the car.</p>
<p>Chapter 7: Reanimating Long Dead Humans<br/>My homeland holds many ancient burial sites from those that came before us. Many in my lifetime have attempted to create armies of the undead housed there with varied success. The biggest trick is controlling the minds of these creatures and keeping that sort of control. Fortunately, many undead such as draugr and skeletons are quite simple minded and easy to influence. They’ll follow you around like lost children if you allow it. Here, I will detail exactly how to prepare their bodies for raising. Do keep in mind, though, that once they die again, it’s over for them and their bodies will turn to ash.</p>
<p>“I can’t believe you’re ok with breaking into this tomb. Isn’t this some sort of sacred ground?” Dio asked. All he could see was Dean’s back and the dark tunnel before them.</p>
<p>“They’re long dead, they won’t mind as long as we’re respectful. Plus, I’ve done far worse to more dead bodies than I can count,” Dean responded without looking back.</p>
<p>Finally, the duo hit the end of the tunnel, which was capped by a door. Dean pushed it open to reveal a burial chamber chock full of caskets. Some lay open, indicating to Dio that Dean might have been here before. </p>
<p>“Glad we’re in Egypt. These burial places are ripe for the picking for people like us. There’s a lot more passages but I never really went exploring. Just pick a closed coffin and get to work. I’ll be over here,” Dean told him.</p>
<p>Dio obeyed and opened a sarcophagus. The dead face inside stared at him with its creepy empty eye sockets, sending shivers down his spine. He went about his business, checking the body for any issues that may prevent him from doing his duty. </p>
<p>Finally satisfied with the mummy he had chosen, he stepped back and fired his reanimation spell without another thought. For a moment, panic shot through him as he realized he hadn’t even thought about it. But as the seconds passed he could feel the mind of the dead man in front of him molding to him, forming itself back into some semblance of thought. Blue fire lit in its empty eye sockets and it stepped out of its resting place, staggering until it was standing directly in front of Dio.</p>
<p>Dio felt Dean’s presence behind him and a hand on his left shoulder followed. They stood there, staring at the draugr for a few minutes in silence. </p>
<p>Chapter 8: Reanimating Fresh Bodies<br/>Now comes the hardest part. The more recent the death, the less control you will have over your subject. Of course, if you aren’t planning undead world domination that’s completely fine. Your newly raised person will be able to back to some semblance of a normal life, though depending on the nature of their death they may experience some memory problems that may or may not resolve themselves on their own. </p>
<p>He hated doing this. He really did. Sneaking out at night and feeding wasn’t his favorite option, but it was keeping him sane. Animal blood could only hold off his hunger for so long. He needed human blood. But he hated going behind Dean’s back, as well as killing people. The only justification he had was that he made sure they died quickly, and never saw him coming. He used his magic from the shadows, restoring their bodies and bringing their minds back. </p>
<p>It was the talk of Cairo. People mysteriously ending up in alleyways and abandoned buildings with no explanation. Dio made sure to cover his tracks and avoid any and all police he saw. The gig worked in his favor though, strengthening his magic, specifically his reanimation. At first Dean was impressed with Dio’s progress. Dio reveled in the praise he was receiving from his friend. </p>
<p>It took three days for Dean to catch on to his scheme. </p>
<p>“Dio, I need to ask you something. And you need to be honest,” Dean said. His face was tense, serious. Anxiety gripped Dio’s chest and stomach. He couldn’t breathe.</p>
<p>At his nod Dean continued talking. “You’re behind these people’s disappearances aren’t you? A murderer wouldn’t let them go without a scratch. You’ve been in a better mood lately too.”</p>
<p>The accusation hit Dio like a brick in the face. His stomach felt like it was in his knees as he stared up at Dean’s face. He had gone behind his friend’s back and now he was going to be alone. Really, he deserved to die again for what he had done. This was unforgivable. His hands gripped the loose pants he was wearing and he felt sweat forming on his forehead. </p>
<p>“Well?” Dean prompted.</p>
<p>“I- um- well. I need food and- I didn’t mean to get carried away. I know it was wrong. I just thought- I don’t know, I’m sorry,” Dio rambled. </p>
<p>He couldn’t form a coherent thought. He wanted desperately to put on a face, to lie and say it wasn’t him. But Dean wasn’t asking, was he? He looked at the floor, unable to bear seeing Dean’s disappointment in him. If he just lied in the first place he would be calm, he wouldn’t be in this stupid situation, and he wouldn’t have needed to panic. </p>
<p>It took him a moment to realize that Dean was talking to him. “Dio look back at me,” the man said. Dio obeyed immediately, not meeting Dean’s eyes but looking up at him. To his surprise the man didn’t look upset.</p>
<p>“I’m trying to give you credit for your work. That’s damn impressive. And you’re getting away with it without me ever knowing. You’ve done more than enough to move on to the last chapter,” Dean said. “Also, keep up the eating, just don’t get caught. We’ll have to leave if you do,” He added.</p>
<p>The anxiety in Dio’s stomach slowly faded, and his body relaxed. He hadn’t even noticed how tense he was. His entire body felt as though he was filled with jelly. </p>
<p>“Thank you. I swear, I thought you were going to kill me.”</p>
<p>Chapter 9: Reanimating Damaged Corpses<br/>In this profession, you always want to be an opportunist. If you happen to find a battle scene, take advantage of it and get a few more bodies. The healing spells you will need will be much more difficult to perform on bodies such as these depending on the severity of their wounds. Keep in mind that people who have died in a battle or mutilating accident will most likely be upset upon revival, especially if their injuries are gone. Of course, you could always leave them injured, but that usually leaves them in a bad place. With the proper rites and spells literally anything can be brought back, as long as you have all pieces of the body. It would take great strain but I believe something could be brought back from dust or ash.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dean and Dio head to Japan on a lead about Dio's past. Dio struggles with understanding his mind, memories, and feelings.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cool night air flowed in through the door that Dean had cracked open several hours ago. They had just been out, trying to find information about a man named Muhammad Avdol. From what they could find out, he had disappeared in a freak accident nearly a year ago. According to Dean, he was somehow connected to Dio’s past, along with another man who had died the same night as Dio. They were after the second man, a teenager called Noriaki Kakyoin. He was buried in Japan, a terribly long trip from Egypt.</p>
<p>“Dean, there’s a far quicker option right there,” Dio said, pointing to the screen. “What you’re planning will take days, why can’t we just fly?” He asked.</p>
<p>Dean shook his head. “Absolutely not. Flying sucks, man. The lines are shit,” he responded.</p>
<p>“And why do I have a feeling that isn’t the reason?” Dio asked his friend. Something told him there was more to Dean’s adamant refusal to fly than simply standing in line. A month ago he wouldn’t have pushed for answers like this, but he felt far more comfortable with his friend now than he had before.</p>
<p>“Listen, I just hate planes, alright? I don’t need a reason,” Dean replied. “Hell, it’s just a couple of boats, how bad could that be?”</p>
<p>It was hypocritical of him, but Dio didn’t want to share his nightmares with Dean yet. He had no idea what they meant but they definitely meant his past with boats wasn’t great. During the day he could never remember many details of the dreams. But he could picture the faceless man, and hear the woman screaming “Jojo!”. They obviously tied to his past so he would have to bring them up eventually. If he could find out who Jojo was, maybe he could figure out who he was. He knew Dean would help him, the man had told him that his training was basically over and now he was going to help find Dio’s past. Dio just couldn’t get over his nerves to tell Dean about his dreams. </p>
<p>“Alright,” Dean started, interrupting Dio’s thoughts. “Everything is ready. I’ve cloaked this place so nobody can find it unless they know the exact magic I used. If we head out now we can definitely make it to Saudi Arabia by tomorrow.”</p>
<p>“You said we’re leaving the car, how are we going to get to a port?” Dio asked. He had next to no experience with how the modern world worked. He had assumed they would take the car and leave it at the port until Dean had informed him that they were leaving it, cloaked along with the rest of the house.</p>
<p>“Taxi. They’re expensive as hell but our quickest bet without having to leave Baby somewhere,” Dean said.</p>
<p>Dio stood up from his spot, quickly followed by Dean. They worked quietly, picking up their bags and walking out of the shack. For a moment Dio feared that something would happen to them on the ocean but he pushed it down. This wasn’t the time to get nervous, he was far past that. Before he knew it, they were already in the city, flagging down a taxi, and on their way to the dock. </p>
<p>The car trip was quiet. Dean didn’t seem to be in the mood to talk and Dio didn’t feel like bothering him. He stared out the window, mind blank, watching the streets go by. A clock tower caught his attention. Something felt off about it. He glanced out Dean’s window and noticed a water tower. The smell of fresh blood reached his nose. Not Dean’s blood. A stranger. </p>
<p>Dio looked down. Golden hands sat above his own, alien to him but somehow belonging to him. They were covered in blood. How had that happened? He could barely picture a young man, directly in front of him, not moving, but standing on a rooftop. Nothing was moving. He looked up and realized that it wasn’t just his imagination, nothing at all was moving. The world stopped in its tracks and only Dio was left. Dean was staring down at the floor, not moving, not breathing. Dio looked down again and saw the hands, now no longer bloody. Seconds ticked by, Dio alone in his still world. </p>
<p>Suddenly, things began to move again, and Dean looked up. Their eyes met for a moment before Dio looked away, toward the front of the car. </p>
<p>“You ok?” Dean asked quietly.</p>
<p>Dio nodded. “It felt like everything stopped for a moment. Probably just an illusion.”</p>
<p>Dean nodded and looked back up to the front of the car, where they were finally pulling into the port. Dio stood outside with their bags while Dean paid their driver. As they boarded he thought about the hands he had seen. They weren’t his hands, which were still covered in flesh. They were golden, and almost a bit transparent, as if they were from a spirit haunting him. It wasn’t Jojo, nothing about the dreams had seemed yellow or golden that he could remember. Perhaps Kakyoin could shed some light on what this was. </p>
<p>Dio’s stomach was in his feet as he boarded the boat. He couldn’t entirely explain his anxiety, especially not to Dean. But he had a horrible feeling as he sat down. It wasn’t a long trip exactly, but it was more than enough to get his blood pressure up. If he even had blood pressure. </p>
<p>Dean must have seen how tense Dio was. The man was practically sitting on top of Dio as the boat took off from the dock. Surprisingly the pressure of Dean right up against him helped settle his nerves a bit. Just knowing that his friend was right there was almost enough. </p>
<p>After an hour of Dean squirming Dio got fed up and made him get up to go to the restroom. Why he didn’t go before they boarded Dio had no idea. As a vampire he had no need for such problems. But as soon as Dean left his side the anxiety set in again. He tried to breathe, to keep himself calm. Thankfully it helped. </p>
<p>Minutes ticked by and turned into half an hour. Dio was officially nervous. Dean hadn’t returned from the restroom yet. Had something happened to him? If Dean died Dio had no idea what he would do. All alone with nobody who knew him, nobody to help him find himself. He was grateful for Dean bringing him back and being his friend but without him Dio was lost. </p>
<p>Finally, Dean returned to his seat, falling into it heavily. As Dio breathed he picked up a strong smell of vomit coming off of Dean. How wonderful, his only comfort is seasick. And on the mode of transport from Dio’s literal nightmares. Cautiously, he reached over a bit and touched Dean’s hand. It must have been the post vomit haze that made Dean turn his hand over and grab Dio’s. </p>
<p>They sat like that for the rest of the trip, hand in hand. Something about it made the anxiety finally melt away completely. Even if it was probably Dean’s nausea clouding his thinking, it felt nice. As they stood up to exit the boat in Saudi Arabia Dio could still feel his friend’s hand in his. </p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>The private train car was full of Dean’s laughter. Dio laughed along with him despite not understanding the joke he had just made. They had been able to nab a private space on this train ride and Dio thanked whatever was out there for it. He didn’t know how much longer he could take being around other people. Especially not for a 15 hour train ride. At least here he felt much safer than on the boat. Plus, they got beds on this train.</p>
<p>“-just not that hard to pick up chicks, man,” Dean said across the table between them as Dio tuned back into the conversation. “A smile here, a compliment there, and a guy like you could get a girl just like that.” He snapped his fingers to emphasize the point. </p>
<p>“I’m not sure,” Dio replied. “I feel as though I never had much of an eye for women.”</p>
<p>Dean’s eyes widened, and Dio feared that he had upset him. “Yeah? Well the same works for men. A charming smile like yours goes a long way.”</p>
<p>“I suppose,” Dio said with a chuckle. “I doubt I would make for a good partner anyhow, with my memory problems. Maybe I wasn’t meant to find love.”</p>
<p>Dean stayed silent. Dio hoped he hadn’t said something wrong. He couldn’t remember if he had ever fallen in love. Had he wanted to? He didn’t know. Dean seemed like the kind of person to be more interested in having a good time with someone, rather than settling down like Dio himself wanted. </p>
<p>“I think everyone could find love if they look. Even me,” Dean finally said. “If I had just looked harder I might have seen it before it was too late.”</p>
<p>At Dio’s silence Dean continued speaking. “His name was Castiel. We worked together for 12 years. He was my best friend. Let’s just say we went through a lot together, you know? I knew I was- I liked men sometimes. I was one of those that denied it. Not saying we didn’t have a few flings! He was fucking hot, man. Inhumanly hot. But I never really thought about love. I’m not that kind of guy. Until he told me that he loved me.”</p>
<p>“What happened, Dean?” Dio asked. He had a feeling he knew but Dean needed to be the one to say it.</p>
<p>“He died.” Dean said simply. His face was slack, emotionless. Still, Dio could see the tears welling in his eyes. </p>
<p>“Well, not really died exactly. He was taken from me. Sent somewhere I can’t reach him. Yet.”</p>
<p>Dio nodded. “Did you… did you get to say it back?” He asked. He feared asking would push Dean away, but the man smiled and a single tear dripped down his left cheek.</p>
<p>“’Y yo a ti, Cas’ is what I said back to him. He at least got to hear it from me before he…” Dean trailed off.</p>
<p>They sat in silence for a few more minutes. The air in the car was heavy and suffocating. Dio felt as though if he needed to breathe, he wouldn’t be able to. He could see Dean silently crying in front of him but he made no move to comfort his friend. He had been the one to bring this up, he didn’t want to make it worse. </p>
<p>Finally, Dean looked up at Dio and gave him a tiny smile. “That’s why I was in Egypt actually. I got into necromancy to try to find him. Where he is… I have no idea if I can even get there, but I’ll be damned if I don’t at least try. He deserves that much from me,” Dean said.</p>
<p>“That makes sense. And, since you’re helping me, I’ll help you as much as I can in this,” Dio replied. </p>
<p>He glanced out the window and realized the sun was going down. They must have finally been several hours into their trip. He heard Dean sigh and the rustle of fabric as his friend stood up. </p>
<p>“I’m gonna head to bed,” Dean said, and stepped toward the beds. He sat down on the bottom bunk and pulled his boots off, tossing them next to the bed. </p>
<p>Dio watched as his friend stretched out on the mattress. He looked like the height of comfort, lying with his hands resting on his belly. His face, though still a bit red from crying, looked more peaceful than Dio thought he had ever seen. Suddenly, it occurred to him that Dean hadn’t taken any of his clothes off, including his jeans and belt.</p>
<p>“Dean, are you going to change pants? I doubt sleeping in those is comfortable,” He said, still sitting at the table.</p>
<p>Dean opened his eyes and turned his head back toward Dio. “Yeah I’ll do it in a little bit. Just getting a feel for the bed. It’s comfy, you should come get on yours.”</p>
<p>Dio chose not to respond verbally, but he obeyed, standing and stripping his shirt and pants off. Finally in his underwear, Dio strode the two steps to the beds and climbed up into the top one. Dean was right, he realized as he laid down. This was quite a comfortable bed. So comfortable that Dio didn’t notice himself drifting off to dreamless sleep.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The rest of the trip had been fine, why did it have to get bad now, when they were finally on the last leg. It was night time, and Dio had felt the ship shake. The memories of his nightmares came back in full swing, but now he was awake for it. It smelled like the ocean in here, but the darkness surrounding him made him feel just as bad, though he couldn’t explain that like he could the noises. Dean had told him that noises were a normal boat thing, and that he had nothing to fear, but was that really true?</p>
<p>Dean’s snores from the bunk above him were only comforting for a while. Dio had tried to keep his friend awake, but after a few hours of trying to get him to talk about his life Dean had fallen asleep. Dio was left by himself in this cabin, afraid of every little noise. Exhaustion was starting to wear on him, dragging him down into the bed by his bones and holding him there, preventing him from moving. His body felt so heavy…</p>
<p>He knew he was dreaming. The boat around him was still the burning one, but he felt no fear. When he tried to move, his body obeyed him this time. The woman sobbed on the floor next to him, clutching a baby. His own voice spoke, though it sounded cold and strange to him. He told the woman to follow him if she wanted to live. Her name, Erina, sounded familiar, yet so foreign to him, as if he should know her. She slowly stood up and followed him to a coffin on the burning floor. His body stepped in and laid down. His voice instructed her to climb in after he closed a false bottom, and to close the lid. He told her that he would knock on the wood underneath her when he knew it was safe for her to exit, and then for her to send him back out to sea. Tears streamed down her face as she nodded, and when his body pulled the false bottom closed on himself, he heard her climb in to the coffin and close it. The noises of the fire grew faint in the darkness, but Erina’s crying still echoed in his ears. After an eternity he heard the sound of the ocean around them. Finally, the coffin shook and–</p>
<p>–Dio woke up gasping. Dean was climbing down from the bunk above him, and the man looked down at the vampire, worry painted on his face. Dio laid there, staring at his friend, letting his heart rate and breathing slow. Finally he dragged himself out of the bed and Dean, in a rare show of affection, opened his arms. Dio accepted the hug. He needed it.</p>
<p>“We’re in Japan, that’s what the shaking was. Hope it didn’t make you too nervous,” Dean said. There was no malicious intent in his tone or his body; Dio was grateful for that.</p>
<p>“It fit with the dream I was having,” He answered. “We should probably get off now and gather our things.”</p>
<p>Dio didn’t really want to talk about his dream, especially now that it was fading from his memory. What was the woman’s name again? Elizabeth? No, that wasn’t it. Damn it all, he should have written it down somehow. At least he still remembered Jojo.</p>
<p>Dio followed Dean out of the room, and then out of the boat. Finally, his feet felt solid, dry ground. Internally he rejoiced that fact as they waited for their luggage. He didn’t want to get in one of those death traps again. </p>
<p>They stopped at a rental center to rent a car, and then at the hotel that Dean had picked out. The hotel was quiet for such a nice morning. As they approached the counter, Dean called out a greeting in Japanese, and the clerk looked up and smiled. He spent a few minutes talking with her and paying. Dio picked up his bags again and they headed toward the elevator.</p>
<p>The key jingled in Dean’s hand as he opened the door. “We’re going to be sharing a room, and she said they’re full on double bed rooms,” He told Dio.</p>
<p>“So you’re telling me either one of us sleeps on the floor, or…”</p>
<p>“We’ll sleep in the bed together,” Dean finished for him. “I’ve done this before it’s not a big deal to me. But lets set up shop and rest for the day, we’ve got a long night ahead of us tonight.”</p>
<p>Dio nodded in response and followed Dean into the room. He set the bags down on a table against one wall and began to unpack the herbs and tools Dean had brought. Several knives, a shotgun, a handgun, a handful of blue mountain flowers, a small jar of butterfly wings, a bag of imp stool mushrooms, and a small bundle of weat. Dio set the ingredients and weapons out neatly, where he could find and hide them easily.</p>
<p>He turned around to see Dean checking that their compact, foldable shovels work. He finished his task and turned to look at Dio, smiling as he saw that Dio had set out. He silently checked over the plants, but didn’t touch anything. Nodding with approval, he grabbed the pistol and began to take it apart; Dio watched him intently. Dean took his time cleaning the gun, making sure the mechanics worked, and then loading it. He set the gun back where it had been and took the shotgun, doing the same procedure while Dio watched. </p>
<p>This time, as Dean loaded the gun, he glanced up at Dio. “I’m loading this with rock salt in case we run into something we don’t want in that cemetery. You never know what you could find, we can’t be too careful. The other gun is loaded with silver bullets. You’ll carry that one. Know how to shoot?” He asked.</p>
<p>Dio shook his head. Dean had showed him how guns worked but every time he had offered to let Dio shoot one, the vampire had balked. This time he realized it was too late to practice and he needed to use it. A shudder ran down his spine at the thought.</p>
<p>Dean didn’t seem to judge him for it. He stood up and stepped behind Dio, putting the gun in his hands. Dio looked down at himself. His hands were shaking. Dean’s came around from behind him and covered them. Dio could feel Dean’s warmth pressed up against his back.</p>
<p>“The safety is on right now, but it’ll be off tonight,” Dean said against his ear. “That’s the switch there, by your thumb. I moved your hands where they need to be. Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot. Whatever you do, don’t point it at me or anyone living unless you intend to shoot. Warn me if you need to shoot over me. Best case scenario, we don’t need to use these. Worst case, we get attacked by a ghost.”</p>
<p>Dio tensed up as Dean mentioned getting attacked by a ghost. Though, now that he thought about it, it made sense. They would be among so many dead bodies.</p>
<p>“I brought more salt and we’ll fill up a tank with gas before we go to the cemetery in case we need to get rid of something,” Dean continued. “I have… experience with this kind of thing. I doubt anything will go wrong. But we’re going to be ready just in case.”</p>
<p>Dean stepped back and allowed Dio to put the gun back where he had it before. As Dio turned around Dean was already headed for the bathroom. Dio heard the shower turn on. He sat and listened to the water, letting himself zone out and allowing his mind to clear before their job. The water shut off and Dio stood up, ready for his turn. Dean soon exited the bathroom in pajamas and laid down on the bed. </p>
<p>Dio’s shower felt amazing. He hadn’t had any sort of proper cleaning since they had left the house in Egypt. This was a welcome reprieve. The water burned hot over his naturally cold skin, grounding him. He was warm for the first time in a long time. As he stepped out of the shower, the warm air kept the feeling going. His entire soul felt warm. The pajamas Dean had provided just proved to solidify this feeling.</p>
<p>Dean was reading a book on the bed, sprawled out and looking comfortable. Dio approached the opposite side and settled down. He didn’t fall asleep, but his eyes closed and he sank into the comfort of the bed and the body beside him- wait what? What was that thought? He had no idea if normal friends were comforted by their friends’ presence. He decided to ignore the dilemma until he had fewer things to worry about.</p>
<p>As the hours passed, Dio heard Dean fall asleep. The other man’s snores filled the small hotel room. After a while Dean rolled over in his sleep, wrapping himself around Dio. Finally Dio opened his eyes, looking down at his friend, who was now sprawled across him as if he was a part of the bed. It seemed that Dean was much more comfortable than Dio had originally thought. Dio took a chance and allowed his hand to run through Dean’s hair as the man slept with his head on Dio’s chest. </p>
<p>It was another several hours before Dean woke up again. Dio looked at the clock. It read 10:58 PM. He hadn’t even realized that he had laid there so long. Perhaps he had dozed off. The two quietly began to pack away their things and prepare to head for their target. They left a do not disturb sign on the door and made sure it was locked. </p>
<p>The car trip was quiet. Dio could feel the cold weight of the gun sucking the warmth from earlier out of his body through his leg. He knew it was only for spirits but the idea of it killing someone still scared and almost excited him. He didn’t like that.</p>
<p>The cemetery was silent and empty as they pulled up. It would almost be creepy if Dio wasn’t already a vampire. They took their time, looking at gravestones, watching and listening for police. Dio had no idea how they were going to even find the correct grave, he couldn’t read a single one of these headstones.</p>
<p>As if to answer his unasked question, Dean turned his head. “Man, I’m really glad I learned Japanese. Neither of us would know how to find the one we’re looking for,” he called back to Dio.</p>
<p>Finally, Dean stopped, pulled out his shovel, and began to dig. Dio joined in and it wasn’t long before they hit coffin. Dean wasted no time breaking it open and pulling out the body inside. It was well preserved for somebody who had been dead for a year. The sight still disgusted Dio. The boy’s body was torn apart in the center, exposing his now decomposing guts. Dio’s empty stomach heaved and he turned away. He couldn’t stand the sight, and he couldn’t stand the realization he just had.</p>
<p>The boy was the same one he had seen in the taxi in Cairo. He did that. He didn’t remember how, or when, or why. His stomach heaved again and he was on the ground. He barely noticed Dean grabbing his arm and dragging him away, carrying the body in a bag. Dean loaded the body into the trunk of the rental. Dio stood in the darkness, staring at Dean. The other man stared back and motioned for Dio to get in the car. </p>
<p>He forgot how. He knew how to open the door and get in. He knew, and he had done it before but he simply couldn’t bring himself to perform the actions. Dean looked annoyed and stepped back around the car. His hand gripped Dio’s and moved it to the handle. When Dio still didn’t catch on, Dean opened the door for him with his own hand. Dio finally got the message and collapsed back into the embrace of the car seat. </p>
<p>The drive back to the hotel was silent and tense. Dean was actually annoyed with him this time. Dio’s stomach was twisted in knots from what he had seen. He wouldn’t have remembered the flashback if he hadn’t had another one at the sight of Kakyoin’s body. Dean had seemed so unaffected by it. At least they hadn’t had to use the guns. </p>
<p>They used a side door to get back into the hotel, and used a large bag to get the body in. Dean seemed to be unconcerned about the camera posted near the door. He informed Dio as soon as they were in the room that it had been tampered with. He must have checked at some point. Or done it himself. Dio helped him get the bag onto the table, and then Dean turned to him.</p>
<p>“What the hell was that?” he whispered loudly. “We needed to get out of there. You can’t just freeze like that! We could have been caught- are you- are you crying?”</p>
<p>Tears streamed down Dio’s face, and he couldn’t stop them no matter how much he wanted to. “I know I fucked up. I saw him and I knew… I knew I did this. I saw him in Egypt, in the car. I couldn’t get the image out of my head. I- I’m sorry. I don’t know why this was different I just-” Dio broke down in sobs, cutting himself off. His knees buckled from under him. The weight of his swirling emotions pushed him down and pinned him on the floor. This was all his fault and he really didn’t even know why. More than anything it confused and upset him.</p>
<p>Dean’s warm hands shocked Dio into looking up. The other man was blurry through his tears but the little Dio could see looked concerned. </p>
<p>“I shouldn’t have yelled at you. You were already sensitive. But how can you be sure whatever vision you had was him?” Dean said softly.</p>
<p>“Because- because I don’t know. I just saw him when we passed the clock tower. Something felt wrong about it. I saw blood on my hands but they weren’t my hands. They were golden. I don’t know why but I knew it was his blood. That hole I- I don’t know,” Dio choked out as best he could.</p>
<p>Dean sighed. “You’re having visions?” He asked.</p>
<p>Dio shook his head. “No, not… not exactly. It’s more like I remember things. Things I did. But they don’t feel real. I forget before long. Hell, I forgot about him until I saw his body.”</p>
<p>“Flashbacks then,” Dean mused. “Well. This is your chance to make it up to him. You can heal him. Bring him back and apologize for what you did. And… we’ll figure out the whole memories thing later. You need to rest. We can work on him tomorrow.”</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>Morning light filtered through the closed curtains, dappling over Kakyoin’s disfigured body. Dio tried not to look as he ground the ingredients into a healing paste like Dean had taught him. He tried to ignore the feeling in his hands as he spread it over and into the hole. The effects were immediately apparent. Dio applied his magic at the same time, accelerating the process. He had never tried that before, but it certainly seemed to work. </p>
<p>Dean said nothing. Dio could feel his eyes boring into his back, practically burning him. He felt like this was some sort of test, a final exam for the crash course Dean had put him through. For now, Dio seemed to be passing. The healing spell finished healing the horrific wound in Kakyoin’s abdomen, leaving just a scar, as if it had healed naturally. The twin scars over Kakyoin’s eyes remained the same, obviously having healed over months before he died.</p>
<p>Dio decided to waste no time in raising the boy. He wanted to apologize and find out what Kakyoin knew about him. So he readied his magic, took three deep breaths, and let go. A moment of silence passed as the magic worked through the body. Another moment, and he heard stuttering breaths coming from in front of him. The smell of fresh blood reached his nose. He opened his eyes.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>Dio sat at the table, impatiently tapping his feet. His fingers played with a pen that he had found, drawing lines on a piece of paper, trying to sketch out an image. He had no idea what he was drawing, nor did he care. None of it mattered. He just had to wait until Kakyoin woke up. </p>
<p>In the background, Dean had the TV playing some news program. Dio didn’t understand a word of it so he tried not to pay too much mind to it. The anchor was a generic looking woman, speaking quickly. Dean seemed bored with whatever she was saying, staring blankly at the screen. </p>
<p>The anchor sounded like she changed subjects; Dean made an interested noise. Dio heard the name Kakyoin Noriaki and glanced at the TV, stopping his hand. He glanced at Dean, who sat closer to Kakyoin’s sleeping body. Dean, catching Dio’s glance, nodded.</p>
<p>Suddenly, Kakyoin turned his head toward the TV and yelled something in Japanese. Dio tensed up and immediately stopped his movements. Dean jumped at the same time, and turned toward the table where Kakyoin was laying. He said something in Japanese to Kakyoin, though the only words Dio understood were ‘Kakyoin’ and ‘Dean Winchester’.</p>
<p>The conversation continued for a few more moments before Dean motioned back toward Dio. Kakyoin’s gaze followed the older man’s gesture. His eyes widened and he sat up. </p>
<p>“YOU MOTHERFUCKER!” He screamed toward Dio.</p>
<p>The words sliced into Dio’s soul. He deserved it but it still hurt. Dean was standing now, gently trying to keep Kakyoin on the table. The young man was struggling hard against Dean’s hands, fighting to get to Dio and kick his ass. His face was contorted in rage. </p>
<p>“Kakyoin, calm down. Your body is still getting used to being alive. Let Dio explain himself, he’s the one who did all the hard work of raising you,” He said quietly. “And quit yelling, we’re in a hotel.”</p>
<p>Kakyoin’s expression still remained angry, but he conceded and allowed Dean to help him lay back again. Dio stood up and moved his chair across the room to sit with Dean at the side of the table. He mentally prepared himself, but he had no idea what he was even going to say. Nothing he could come up with really sufficed to apologize for the harm he had caused. He still had to try at least, and maybe get Kakyoin to tell him something about himself. Anything really that could help him find out who he is. </p>
<p>“He’s right,” Dio began. “I raised you from the death I caused. I know any apology I give you won’t suffice for what I did to you but I want you to know that I’m sorry. I hope someday you can forgive me. For now though, I simply want to know what you know about me. Unlike you, I have no memory of my life or how I died.”</p>
<p>Kakyoin stayed quiet for a moment. His face had softened and he seemed lost in thought. Dio watched him carefully. His posture, for being on his back, seemed relaxed. He sighed and his eyes traveled from the ceiling to Dio. The boy looked him up and down for a moment before sighing again.</p>
<p>Kakyoin finally spoke. “I guess I can do you the courtesy of telling you what I know, since you did undo most of the damage you did to me.”</p>
<p>“I’m grateful,” Dio responded with a smile. </p>
<p>“Well,” Kakyoin said, “You found me on a family trip to Egypt. You implanted a flesh bud into my brain to control me and you… used me for your purposes. All I really know is that you were on a mission to kill all of the remaining Joestars, but as far as I know, they stopped you.”</p>
<p>“Not before I killed you,” Dio added.</p>
<p>“Obviously,” Kakyoin said, his voice dry and sarcastic.</p>
<p>“Thanks for the info Kakyoin,” Dean interjected. “Now we have some sort of basis. Looking for people with the last name Joestar.”</p>
<p>“If I remember correctly, the Joestars we would be looking for lived over 100 years ago, most likely in England. Your best bet is to start there Winchester-san,” Kakyoin said.</p>
<p>Dean frowned and turned to glare at Kakyoin. “Kid you can just call me Dean,” He told him, annoyed.</p>
<p>Kakyoin smirked. “Sure thing Winchester-san.” </p>
<p>Dean let out a long sigh and put his head in his hands. Dio laughed, and Kakyoin joined him. It was a nice sound, and eventually Dean joined them. The three smiled at each other, though Kakyoin looked hesitantly at Dio. The vampire didn’t blame him. He smiled back at Kakyoin, and soon the boy was returning the large grin. The anxiety in Dio’s stomach finally melted and he began to mentally prepare himself to head for England.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading! I hope you like what I have so far, I'm really invested in this!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dio and Dean head for England on a possible lead on somebody who knew Dio.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry this took so long to get out! My laptop decided to pitch a little fit and stop charging for a bit, so i had to use my phone to write. You can imagine how much I didn't do lol. Thankfully, lappytop decided he was done being a brat and I got it done. So sorry for the delay!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dean’s weight made the bed dip next to Dio as the human sat down. They sat next to each other for several minutes, alone in the hotel room for a while. Dean had sent Kakyoin out to get ice a few minutes ago, and the boy still hadn’t returned. He must have assumed Dean wanted to talk to Dio about something. Dio assumed so as well. </p><p>“You said you have dreams. What are they about?” Dean finally asked.</p><p>Dio knew this was coming. As soon as he had told Dean about the nightmares he realized his friend would be asking about it. What would he even tell him? He barely remembered anything about them in the first place.</p><p>“I never remember much after I wake up. But I’m always on a burning boat. There’s a woman. I should know her name but as soon as I awake I forget her completely. She usually is calling out for ‘Jojo’. That’s all I can remember,” He told Dean.</p><p>The human nodded and sat there for another minute. Dio sat with him, silent. He should have said something about this sooner and saved himself the heartache. He had already been mentally preparing himself to take trains and boats to England.</p><p>Dean spoke, interrupting Dio’s mental preparation. “Tell you what, we’ll fly to England on one condition,” he said, holding up a finger.</p><p>“What is it?” Dio asked. </p><p>“You have to hold my hand the entire time we’re on board,” Dean replied, grinning. Dio couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. </p><p>The room door opened and Kakyoin returned with a bucket of ice. Dio turned to look at him. His face remained neutral as he set the bucket down. Dio thanked him and turned back to Dean, who had turned his attention to their bags. Dio turned back around.</p><p>“By the way, Kakyoin, thank you for coming with us. It means a lot to me that you’re willing to help me,” He told the boy on a whim.</p><p>Kakyoin looked up from his ice. “Oh. You’re welcome. I just think you deserve to know what you were like before… you know.”</p><p>Dio stared at him, confused. What the hell was that supposed to mean. “Uh, thanks?” He replied and turned back around again. To be fair to Kakyoin he did suppose that he should know his own apparently horrible past. Did he really need to word it that way though? </p><p>“Speaking of, when are we leaving Winchester-san?” Kakyoin asked. </p><p>Dean groaned quietly next to Dio. “Tomorrow morning. We’ll pick up our plane tickets when we get there.”</p><p>“We should probably get some rest then. It’ll no doubt be a long flight,” Kakyoin said back.</p><p>At that, Dio laid back and let himself relax into the bed. He watched Kakyoin messing with the TV remote, flipping through the channels aimlessly. Out of nowhere, a bright green and white tentacle extended from the boy and snaked out the door. After a few moments it returned with a bag of chips, which Kakyoin immediately picked up from it and opened. Dean didn’t acknowledge any of this. Dio decided that if he remembered he would ask Kakyoin about it when they had a moment alone together.</p><p>Dio closed his eyes for a moment, reveling in the quiet domesticity of the hotel room. It was much cooler here than back in Egypt. The sound of the TV gave a nice background to the sounds of Dean shuffling around in his bags. Before long the world devolved into silence, and Dio laid there comfortably. At some point, strong hands picked him up and moved him. He didn’t have the energy to open his eyes and find out the time, or what was happening. The warmth of two bodies on either side of him melted that thought away and Dio slipped into sleep. </p><p>When he opened his eyes he was surprised to still be in the hotel room, though he was sweating and anxiety sat heavy in his chest. He must have had a nightmare that he couldn’t remember now. He picked his head up and looked at the clock, which read 6:58 AM. At least he had slept through the night.</p><p>To his left was Kakyoin, sound asleep clutching Dio’s arm. His soft breath tickled the vampire’s skin but Dio didn’t dare disturb him. His expression was so peaceful. Dio turned his head right and found Dean, once again sprawled completely across him. It was only then that he figured out why he hadn’t noticed. His legs were numb from Dean’s weight. The man's breathing was much more rapid than Dio expected, more than the times Dio had listened to him sleep. Perhaps he was having a nightmare?<br/>
Dio stayed quiet, waiting for Dean to move, or do anything. As he listened to the silence, the sound of two heartbeats next to him drifted into his ears. One was slow and steady, pumping along easily. The other was much faster. Dio checked his friends again and realized what was wrong with Dean.<br/>
"You're awake Dean," Dio whispered into the dark room.<br/>
Dean sighed. "Yeah, you got me. Insomnia I guess. Don't worry about it. Go back to sleep," he responded before going quiet again.</p><p>Outside, Dio could hear the sounds of Tokyo going about its business. Cars sped past the hotel, and he could hear very quiet voices that he couldn’t understand coming from outside. Light barely filtered in to the room through the heavy curtains covering the window. </p><p>Suddenly, the alarm clock next to the bed began to shriek, making Dio jump. A tentacle smacked the clock several times, finally silencing it. Kakyoin’s eyes were open now, staring at Dio. The blonde’s face felt hot as he was watched. Finally, Kakyoin extracted himself from Dio’s arm and got up from the bed without saying anything, instead heading for the bathroom. Dio decided it would be best if he didn’t say anything either. Their proximity was only from necessity after all. </p><p>Dean was already getting up from his position on top of Dio and grabbing his bag. He sorted through it for a moment before he found a shirt and pants. Kakyoin exited the bathroom in a button down, green plaid shirt and pair of blue jeans that Dean had given him, moving to sit down in a chair. Dio swung his legs off the bed, following their example and grabbing some clothes from his bag. </p><p>He stripped off what he had been wearing the night before and quickly pulled on his new clothes, stuffing the old in his bag. When he turned back around Kakyoin had his face shoved deliberately in the TV guide. </p><p>“Sorry,” Dio said quietly, embarrassed. </p><p>Kakyoin grumbled an ‘its fine’ from behind the pages, but made no move to reveal his face. Dio turned his attention to the bags sitting next to the bed, moving them over to the door and slipping his shoes on while he was over there. He realized after a moment that Dean was taking a while in the bathroom, and remembered that he had wanted to ask Kakyoin about the tentacle before he forgot. He supposed now was as good a time as any. </p><p>“Kakyoin, may I ask you something?” he questioned, walking back toward the chair. </p><p>Kakyoin finally looked up from his book. He peeked up from the pages, only revealing his scarred eyes, squinting at Dio.</p><p>“What is it?” The boy responded. His voice was even and unemotional. </p><p>“I saw some sort of… tentacle for lack of a better word. It seemed to originate from you. What was that?” Dio asked him.</p><p>“You don’t remember what a Stand is?” Kakyoin said. He sounded shocked, which worried Dio. He shook his head.</p><p>Kakyoin stared at him, and finally lowered his book. “A Stand is the manifestation of your soul, made physical. Some, like me, are born with one. Others, like you, have them extracted with an arrow,” Kakyoin said. “What you saw was my stand, Hierophant Green.”</p><p>As if to emphasize, a mass of tentacles appeared behind Kakyoin, forming themselves into a green humanoid. It looked to Dio as though it was filled with liquid, held in by a rubbery skin and white support system. It floated over to Dio, examining him with its yellow eyes. The mask over its face made it look far more intimidating than Dio though it probably should have. </p><p>“Do I have one of these?” Dio asked. “I saw something when we were leaving Egypt. I just assumed I imagined it.”</p><p>“That wasn’t your imagination,” Kakyoin told him. As he spoke, Hierophant Green’s legs came apart into tentacles that wrapped themselves around Dio. “You have a Stand called The World. I figured out your ability just before I died. You can stop time.”</p><p>Shock ran through Dio. Hierophant Green caressed his skin as he processed the information. He hadn’t been imagining the car trip then, he had really stopped time. Hierophant began to pull on him, pulling something gold out of his body. A golden humanoid stood next to him, staring at him. The World. It stood about as tall as he did, and, physically, looked nearly the same as him. It seemed to have some accessories on its body that made it look like a diver, but before he could examine it further, the bathroom door opened.</p><p>Dean stepped out into the room, fully dressed now. Hierophant Green removed itself from Dio, and formed back into its entire body. It grabbed The World’s hand and led it off to the side. Dio could feel the hand on The World’s through his own body. Dean, once again, paid no attention to the strange beings. </p><p>Kakyoin’s voice in Dio’s mind startled him. “I’m talking to you through Hierophant now. Dean doesn’t have a Stand, so he can’t see them. Oh- I’m sorry I startled you. I had no way to warn you. All you need to know is that any damage The World takes, you will too. And if you want to talk to me privately while Dean is around, use The World. He’ll know what to do.”</p><p>Dean was staring at them as Dio thanked Kakyoin in his head. “Are we going to leave or are you two just gonna sit there and stare at each other?” he asked. </p><p>Dio and Kakyoin stood up together, and Kakyoin apologized for his inconvenience. With that, the three headed out the hotel room door. Kakyoin left with Dio through the side door that they had entered from the other night, and Dean went to the front desk to check out. Dio unlocked the doors for Kakyoin, and then opened the trunk to pack their bags inside. Finally he moved back to the passenger side and got in himself. The two sat in silence, waiting for Dean.</p><p>It didn’t take the man long to show up, and get their trip started. Dio could tell he was tense, probably nervous about the flight. Dio himself was almost as nervous. He had never been inside a machine that could fly. He supposed that holding Dean’s hand would be of some comfort. </p><p>The airport was bustling, so much so that Dio could hardly pay attention to his surroundings while trying to keep up with Dean. He could feel Hierophant Green wrapped around his torso, seemingly keeping Kakyoin tethered to him. He saw a tentacle wrap around Dean as the man paid for their tickets. He seemed confused for a second, but didn’t comment on it. </p><p>As soon as Dean finished paying, he led his companions away, through the crowd. Dio followed obediently, connected only by living rope. Finally, they arrived at a long hallway filled with seats and windows. Dean led them to one and sat down. Hierophant withdrew as Dio and Kakyoin did the same.</p><p>They didn’t have to wait long until Dio heard a call over some sort of radio for their area. All of the people around them stood up. As the group stood, Dean handed Dio and Kakyoin a piece of paper. </p><p>“Dio, let them scan that, it’ll let you in. You’ll be sitting next to me, but I wasn’t able to get seats for all three of us. Will you be alright by yourself?” he asked as he turned his attention to Kakyoin.</p><p>The boy nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine, I’ve been on plenty of planes Winchester-san. I’ll find you two when we get off. It’s going to be a long flight,” he said. </p><p>Dean turned around and got in line. Dio followed suit. The line moved quickly, bustling Dio forward and into the airplane. Dean lead him to their seats and motioned for Dio to sit next to the window. Dio sat and Dean did the same, immediately reaching for Dio’s hand. Dio gave it to him and Dean instantly squeezed it tightly.</p><p>The man leaned over and whispered in Dio’s ear. “If I had to sit next to the window I think I’d puke. Keep it shut and don’t let go of me.”</p><p>Dio squeezed his sweaty hand in response and shut the open window next to him. They waited patiently while the captain explained safety procedures, and then finally, they were cleared for takeoff. The plane began to move, and then pick up speed, and Dean whimpered quietly in his seat. Dio looked over at him.</p><p>The human looked positively terrified. Dio felt the nose of the plane lift off the ground, and Dean’s eyes widened. Dio squeezed his hand, trying to comfort him. Soon, they were in the air, but Dean didn’t relax. Dio wondered if his friend was experiencing something similar to the things he felt on boats. He kept their hands clasped together, hoping it was some comfort. It seemed to help, because after a while, Dean finally relaxed a bit.</p><p>They held hands through the entire 12 hours on the plane. Dean didn’t let go until they were safely in the airport in England. Dio didn’t blame him. He felt bad for making his friend do this for him, but really, the only other choices could take weeks, or even months. At least they were finally in England. </p><p>Kakyoin finally caught up with them and they headed for the street where Dean hailed a taxi. Dio didn’t pay much attention to where they were going, just allowing himself to be led along into the hotel room. He was tired after the plane. As they entered, he immediately strode to one of the beds and face-planted there. He heard Dean laugh behind him.</p><p>“Dio has the right idea,” Dean said. “Let’s get some sleep and plan our next move.”</p><p>Kakyoin said something, but Dio didn’t hear it. He was already falling asleep. He was woken a bit by somebody shaking him.</p><p>“Can I take your clothes off for you at least? You’ll be more comfortable.” Dean asked him. </p><p>Dio nodded. “The pants are digging in on my dick, thank you,” he mumbled. Kakyoin laughed in the background.</p><p>Dean’s hands worked carefully around Dio’s body as he stripped the pants off of his legs. The relief was instantaneous. No more rough fabric digging into his sensitive skin. His shirt soon followed. Dean pulled the blanket out from underneath him. It draped over Dio’s back and pressed him into the softest bed he had ever felt.</p><p>He could tell he was dreaming, but the images played so quickly through his mind that he couldn’t process them. He thought he felt someone hitting him. The pain turned into a tickle as soft grass formed beneath his feet. It shifted instantly, he saw the back of a man’s head. An unfamiliar voice called for Jojo. The image shifted again and it was dark and he was kissing someone he didn’t recognize. Another change, and the girl was a bottle. He was drinking. The alcohol tasted foul in his mouth. Suddenly there was nothing in his mouth and he was alone, in the dark. </p><p>Dio woke up sweating. He couldn’t remember anything he had seen. Dean was next to him, facing away for once. Kakyoin was sitting in the chair with his long limbs splayed out, his head tilted back. Quiet, deep breaths came from the boy.</p><p>Dio shifted his legs to the left and got out of bed, heading for the bathroom. He flicked the light on and shut the door. He didn’t need to go, since he was a vampire he didn’t seem to need that. He simply stood and stared at himself in the mirror. He had bags under his eyes, he presumed from losing sleep to nightmares. He realized that he hadn’t had human blood in at least a month. </p><p>Dio sighed. He would have to wait to taste human again. He couldn’t risk getting caught. Finding his past was too important. His stomach growled as if to protest his decision. He ignored it. A knock on the door brought Dio out of his introspection.</p><p>“Hey I gotta piss,” Dean said through the door. “If you’re done let me in.”</p><p>Dio opened the door, embarrassed. Dean was practically dancing outside it. Dio stepped out, and Dean rushed in, not even shutting the door. Dio, not wanting to be weird, wandered over to the bed. Kakyoin was looking up now, sitting a bit more straight in his chair. In one corner, Hierophant Green sat on the floor playing with a pen. The quiet clicking was the only sound in the hotel room. Something stirred within Dio and The World appeared next to him. The Stand immediately found his way over to the corner and sat down next to Hierophant. Kakyoin’s gaze followed Dio’s to the corner, watching the two. Finally, Dio heard Dean exit the bathroom and the human appeared at the corner of Dio’s vision.</p><p>“The hell are you two looking at?” He asked.</p><p>Dio looked over and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Kakyoin spoke. “Apologies Winchester-san, we were bored waiting for you, that’s the most interesting thing in here. Now what’s the plan?”</p><p>“I’m not sure. Usually my…” Dean paused for a moment. “Usually my associate does the research for me and I go in and kick ass with him,” he admitted. </p><p>“I think we should start with records offices,” Kakyoin said. Dio glanced at him, and then turned around and looked for Dean’s reaction.</p><p>The man was nodding, looking thoughtful. “Alright,” he said. “Let’s start with downtown London. I’ll be lying about my identity, just follow my lead. And get yourselves looking professional. We’re going to be a family looking for family history on Dio.”</p><p>Dio and Kakyoin hummed together in agreement, and the three got to work. Dio dug through his bag and pulled out a nice looking shirt. As he put it on Dean draped a pair of slacks on the chair next to him. Dean nodded at his friend and donned the pants. When he looked up from donning his pants his companions were already dressed. The three slipped shoes on together and headed out the door.</p><p>The taxi ride was short and cramped. Kakyoin was squished in the middle seat. Dean stared out the window, and Dio sat straight, trying not to crush his smaller friend. When they finally pulled up he got out as quickly as he could, letting Kakyoin breathe freely again.</p><p>The office was quiet and stuffy as Dean, Dio, and Kakyoin entered. All three walls were plain white. The sunlight shining in from the front windows made the room too bright. A painting hung on one wall, the others were plain. The stuffy looking receptionist behind the desk looked up at them and smiled, welcoming them to the London Records Office. </p><p>“Hi, I’m looking for records on my husband’s family. Our son is trying to find out more about his history, you know,” Dean said, motioning back toward Kakyoin.</p><p>The woman looked the three men up and down, and her face soured. “I’m sure that’s what it is, sir. Sorry, we can’t provide personal-”</p><p>“Ma’am, if I may?” Kakyoin interrupted her. She glared at him but shut her mouth and allowed him to continue. “Mr. Brando, well, I guess Dad now, just adopted me. I’m an orphan from Japan. We’ve traveled all this way from their home in America to find out more about our families for a school report I’m doing.”</p><p>“See, my other dad, he’s distantly related to the Joseph Joestar, I’m sure you’ve heard of him. He said that the Brando and Joestar families are connected. We really need this information,” Kakyoin finished his lie with a sad look. </p><p>The woman stared at them for a moment. Dio could see a few emotions play across her face as she processed what Kakyoin told her. To make Kakyoin’s story more convincing, Dio placed his hand on his “son’s” shoulder.</p><p>“It’s alright Noriaki, we can tell your teacher we couldn’t get what you need. I’m sure she’ll understand,” He told the boy. </p><p>“I’ll get you the records gentlemen,” the woman finally said, and disappeared behind a door. After a wait that felt like it took years, she reappeared with two folders and placed them on the counter. </p><p>“These are copies of all of the information and records we have for the Brando and Joestar families, so you’ve no need to return them,” she said. “I hope this helps with your, um, report.”</p><p>Kakyoin grinned and took the files, clutching them to his chest. “They will! Thank you ma’am!” He said with the most fake enthusiasm Dio thought he had ever heard. </p><p>The three men left the records office quickly, and hailed another, this time larger cab back to their hotel. Dio stared out the window at the passing sights and thought about what he might find out. Would this tell him who Jojo might be? He had no idea. He hoped so. It was taking so long to find connections to himself, he didn’t want to wait anymore. </p><p>The car trip back felt longer than when they left the first time. Maybe it was. Dio felt something cold and rough grab his hand as he exited the vehicle. Hierophant Green held on to his hand. He looked over to Kakyoin, but the young man was looking away, either deliberately ignoring Dio, or actually unaware of what his Stand was doing. Dio didn’t know how sentient Stands actually were.</p><p>The hotel room was warm as they searched through the files. Dio’s eyes skimmed over the names of his ancestors. Damiano Brando, Donatello Brando, David Brando, Dean Brando.</p><p>“Dean, look, my great great uncle’s name was Dean,” Dio said.</p><p>Dean looked up from the papers he was looking through and laughed. “That’s pretty wild. It’s like we were fated to meet,” he replied, chuckling.</p><p>Dio continued looking through the names. Dario Brando, Dio Brando. There it was. That was his name. Dario was listed as deceased, as well as his wife which was unsurprising. What intrigued the vampire was the note next to his own name. ‘Adopted by George Joestar’. He looked over at Kakyoin, who had all of the information on the Joestars.</p><p>Kakyoin looked up and caught Dio staring at him. “What? Did you find yourself?” he asked.</p><p>Dio nodded. “I was adopted by George Joestar, and the line ends there,” he replied. </p><p>“So Dio isn’t just connected to these Joestars?” Dean asked. “He’s actually related to them?”</p><p>“Yes, and I already knew that Winchester-san, I just needed the paper evidence to show Dio,” Kakyoin answered. “And here it is.”</p><p>Kakyoin slid the papers he was looking at across the table to Dio. It was a family tree much larger than Dio’s. George Joestar was at the head of the page, with his wife next to him. Beneath them were their two sons. Dio Brando and Jonathan Joestar. It listed Jonathan’s descendants, Jorge, Joseph, Holly, and Jotaro. The next page underneath was a death certificate for Jonathan Joestar. It listed his cause of death as drowning on a burning boat. The next page was a police report from an Erina Joestar, describing a boat wreck, the same one where Jonathan had died. Everything clicked in Dio’s head. The Jojo of his dreams was Jonathan Joestar. </p><p>Next, Kakyoin slid another paper across the table to him. It showed a painting. In it, a dark haired man smiles at the artist, holding his wife, a sweet looking blonde woman. Images of Dio’s dreams went through his head as he stared at the image. These were the people he saw in his sleep. </p><p>Dio looked up with tears welling in his eyes. Dean nodded at him. “I found the adoption papers, and a letter from your birth father stating that if anything happened to him, George was supposed to get you.”</p><p>“This was all over one hundred years ago, Dean,” Dio said. “There’s no hope of finding out anything else. Even this is a lot more than I expected.”</p><p>Dean shook his head. “Maybe. But if we could find Jonathan’s head, I think we could bring him back and try to get him to remember.”</p><p>“Wait what?” Kakyoin interjected. “Jonathan’s body would have been destroyed when Dio died. I’m sure Jotaro used sunlight to do away with him.”</p><p>“That’s true, but I brought it back with some effort,” Dean revealed. “I created a new body with Dio’s DNA, Jonathan’s is being preserved back at my house in Egypt.”</p><p>“So if we find his head, we get him back…” Dio mused.</p><p>Kakyoin nodded. “That’s reasonable. And I think I know a possible lead, if we can only find him,” he said. </p><p>~~~</p><p>“Well that was easy.”</p><p>Dio looked up from the page he was staring at. He had been trying to read it for the past 20 minutes but he couldn’t get it to stick in his head. </p><p>“What was?” Dean asked from next to him.</p><p>“I found our lead!” Kakyoin exclaimed. He tossed them the newspaper he had been reading and pointed to an advertisement. </p><p>“Looking for a pretty little lady to be the key to my old cowboy heart. I’m 6 foot 2 in America, lookin’ for you here. Blonde. Good with horses. Serious offers only. - Hol Horse,” Dean read aloud. </p><p>“Shit that was cheesy,” he muttered under his breath.</p><p>“Should we call the number?” Dio asked. </p><p>“I’m going to,” Kakyoin said. “He’ll know who I am. We can meet up with him and get the information out of him.”</p><p>Kakyoin quickly dialed the number on their hotel phone and pressed a button on the phone. The three sat around the device, leaning forward, anxious. It rang four times before there was a click. </p><p>“Howdy, you’ve reached Mr. Hol Horse. How can I help ya?” A drawling voice said from the other end.</p><p>“Hello Hol Horse. Been a while hasn’t it?” Kakyoin responded. </p><p>The sound of static came from the speaker for several minutes before the man on the other side very quietly said “Didn’t you die?”</p><p>“Yes, I did, but I got better,” Kakyoin said. </p><p>“Oh”</p><p>“Listen, I know we beat you up, but I need information. Do you know if DIO had possession of Jonathan Joestar’s head?”</p><p>“Well, I ain’t too sure about who’s head it was, but Lord DIO carried around this skull for a long while. He was real damn protective of it, nobody but him could touch it. I don’t know where he had it. Why’re you wantin’ somethin’ like that Mr. Kakyoin?”</p><p>“That doesn’t matter. Where did you last see it?” Kakyoin looked irritated about Hol Horse’s drawling tone.</p><p>“If my memory serves, it might still be in the mansion in Cairo. I don’t rightly know if you ever got to explorin’ in there. You people sure were intent on killin’ Lord DIO so you might’ve. Y’know, I almost killed him myself. Put Emperor right to his head and I damn near pulled that trigger. D’ya know how his Stand works? It was insane!” Kakyoin groaned as Hol Horse continued talking. “I thought about it for these couple’a years since it all happened, and I finally figured it out! He could stop time! Can you believe that Mr. Kakyoin! Anyhoo, if you’re fixin’ to find that skull I’d try the mansion. I hope it’s still there, but I ain’t been to Egypt since I worked for Lord DIO. He ain’t there anymore cause he’s dead, so I see no point in goin’ back mys-”</p><p>“Can you shut the fuck up? I didn’t need all of that, I just needed where you think the skull is! Thank you Hol Horse!”</p><p>Kakyoin slammed the hotel phone back onto its base, cutting off whatever the cowboy was about to say in response. Dio’s head hurt from how long Hol Horse had talked. </p><p>“Fuck, he didn’t talk that much when I fought him,” Kakyoin groaned. </p><p>“Yeah, how the hell did you stand him?” Dean asked Dio. The human looked haggard.</p><p>“I have no idea, or memory of him. But I don’t know how I didn’t kill him before,” Dio responded.</p><p>“I am curious though,” Dean said. “What did he mean by you stopping time? That wasn’t on that Speedwagon website for vampires.”</p><p>The World sprang to life in Dio’s mind as he looked at Kakyoin. The World’s voice echoed into Kakyoin’s head “Should I tell him?” He asked. </p><p>“Yes, if you trust him. I don’t know why you’re asking me, it’s a personal thing, to tell people about your stand,” Kakyoin replied with Hierophant Green.</p><p>Out loud, Dio said “I have a certain power called a Stand. It’s my soul personified. I didn’t really know I could do it until recently,” he told Dean. </p><p>The man nodded. “Hmm. Strange, I’ve never heard of that. Must be obscure,” he said. “But we’ll need to get ready to fly back to Egypt. We can talk more about this… Stand thing after we find the skull.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy! I'm doing my best to stay in character, but I haven't watched all of Supernatural, and Dio's memory problems affect his behavior a lot. It should get better as I continue writing. I added a few more tags for this chapter, let me know if I need to add any more!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dio, Dean, and Kakyoin search for Jonathan's skull, finally back home in Egypt.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I decided that to make up for taking so long to get chapter 3 out, I'll post chapter 4 now! Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The inside of the house was hot, so much so that Dio worried about what he was going to find when he opened the door to the back room. He took a deep breath and went for it anyway, hoping for the best. A rush of cool air washed over him from inside, and he and Kakyoin both sighed in relief. The body laid there on the table, the same as he had left it. </p>
<p>Dio got to work immediately checking the body for signs of damage or decay. He momentarily wondered why Dean hadn’t just done this himself. It was his spell keeping it intact in the first place. No matter though, Jonathan was safe and that was the only thing that mattered to Dio. Soon, at least he prayed, he would be reviving his long dead brother and rekindling… some sort of relationship with him. From what Kakyoin had said, Jonathan was a kind individual, but his descendant had been certain that he hated Dio. The vampire in question hoped death would calm his hatred.</p>
<p>The sound of the front door shutting and Dean moving around brought Dio back to reality. The human had finished checking on his car it seemed. Kakyoin was already walking back to the other room and disappeared through the door as Dio turned around. Kakyoin said something Dio didn’t hear through the wall.</p>
<p>“… forgot to keep… cool. Car… just fine,” Dean said, though most of the words were lost on Dio. </p>
<p>The vampire wandered back into the room. Everything was just as they had left it except for their bags, which were tossed against one wall. Dean had sat on the couch, and Kakyoin sat down at the computer, presumably to use it. The whir of the machine was just enough to distract Dio from Dean saying something to him as he moved to sit down next to his friend. </p>
<p>“What?” He asked. </p>
<p>“I asked how he’s doing in there,” Dean repeated. “Jet lag?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know what that means. But yes, Jonathan is doing fine,” Dio responded. </p>
<p>Dean nodded as Dio spoke. “Good, good. I’ve got Kakyoin using a map online to find where this mansion is.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Kakyoin interjected, confirming what Dean said. “I’ve been dead so long my memory surrounding it is a bit off. And I wasn’t actually part of the search for the mansion itself, I was still injured while they looked for it,” He said.</p>
<p>“Injured?” Dio asked. He worried about what that could possibly mean. </p>
<p>“Haven’t you seen my eyes? I was in the hospital getting them taken care of from one of your minions attacking me. You’re lucky I can still see,” Kakyoin grumbled. He didn’t look too annoyed, but Dio ended out feeling bad anyway.</p>
<p>Minutes passed in silence as Kakyoin clicked and typed on Dean’s computer. The heavy silence bore down on him as he sat next to Dean. Boredom set in after a while. Kakyoin still sat there, focused. It was almost cute as he leaned in, taking notes on a piece of paper he had grabbed at some point. </p>
<p>Finally, Kakyoin sat back and sighed. “I think I’ve found it. From the map it looks to be in pretty good shape still. We’ll just need to go at night. From what I can gather about the place, its officially abandoned, so there will be minor security.”</p>
<p>Dean laughed. “That won’t be a problem for me. We’ll get in easy,” he said. </p>
<p>“Are you sure Winchester-san?” Kakyoin asked, turning in his chair with a frown. “We don’t know how much security they have posted, much less if there’s cameras installed or motion sensors.”</p>
<p>“Kid, first of all, quit calling me that. Two, it’s a random abandoned building. I’ve been in more than I can count. It’ll be creepy, sure, but you’re going way overboard,” Dean replied.</p>
<p>Kakyoin didn’t respond. He turned back to the computer and grabbed another piece of paper from next to the monitor. Dio looked away, toward the bed. He sat, bored again, listening to the scratch of the pen on paper. Dean’s heartbeat next to him soothed him a bit, but he realized now how tense he was. He wished he could just find the skull and get this over with. </p>
<p>Dio had no idea how long they had been sitting there. Dean wasn’t asleep, but his head was resting against the back of the couch with his eyes closed. Dio wished he could do the same. He was far too worried about their evening plans. What if it wasn’t there? What would he do then? They couldn’t just construct a new head, they needed the correct one according to Dean. He had said that heads were picky, and if not reconstructed correctly they could end up… horrifying. But raising Jonathan without a head was worse. He would be useless, and pretty scary that way. </p>
<p>What was Dio going to do if this fell through? He had no other connection to himself. He was the last person the other Joestars would want to see. One of them, though his name escaped him, had killed him. Dio was certain they wouldn’t hesitate to do so again. What then? He did enjoy living with Dean. Perhaps his friend would let him tag along looking for… Oh what was his name. Dio racked his brain trying to remember the name of Dean’s lover to no avail. He cursed his terrible memory. </p>
<p>Finally, Dean lifted his head and stood from the couch. Dio hadn’t even noticed how dark the house had gotten. He turned toward the computer and found Kakyoin face down on the keyboard. Dio stood, took a step toward the computer, and touched Kakyoin’s shoulder. The boy groaned, shifting in his seat. He picked his head up.</p>
<p>“It’s time to go,” Dio told him. Kakyoin nodded and stood up slowly from the chair. Several cracking noises came from the boy’s stiff joints.</p>
<p>“Remind me not to fall asleep in a wooden chair next time,” He grumbled. Dio chuckled.</p>
<p>Dean had already left, leaving the door open behind him. Dio could hear the faint rumble of the car’s engine from the garage. Kakyoin slipped past him and strode out the front door, half jogging toward the garage. His long legs moved him quickly, and he was out of sight by the time Dio was even halfway across the yard. Dio cursed his new body for not giving him Jonathan’s stature. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>For once, the car trip wasn’t quiet. Music played through the car’s stereo. Dio glanced in the rear-view mirror to see Kakyoin nodded along to it. Dean looked just as content. Dio tried to let himself feel the same, but cold worry had settled in. He couldn’t enjoy it. </p>
<p>“So when we get there,” Dean started, catching the attention of his companions. “Kakyoin I think you should go with Dio. He doesn’t remember the layout as well as you might. You two can take the upper level. I’ll go it alone on the ground floor and keep an eye out for security. Sound good?”</p>
<p>Dio nodded. For a moment he wondered why Dean didn’t want to go with him. They had done everything else together. </p>
<p>“Will we be taking guns in?” Dio asked. </p>
<p>“Nope. No ghosts, no need,” Dean replied.</p>
<p>Dio nodded again as they pulled up to a curb. Dean checked the piece of paper with Kakyoin’s writing on it. Dio tried to read what was written but nearly half of it was in Japanese. Finally, after another moment of quiet reading, Dean shut the car off and stepped out. Dio assumed they were on foot from here.</p>
<p>The three walked four blocks before they came upon a massive building. Dio could only assume it was the mansion. Dean and Kakyoin’s heart rates were fast, giving away their nerves. Dio understood their worry, but he sensed no other person present. No smell of human tantalized him, no heartbeat to give away somebody’s location. They were there alone. </p>
<p>Dio was the first to step out into the street. He crossed confidently, sure that nobody else was around. His friends’ footsteps behind him rushed after him but he paid them no mind. He was best suited for sneaking into here if they really were worried. An open window in the wall brought no human scent, though if it had, Dio probably would have killed and eaten them anyway. He climbed through the window first, dropping into an empty room. </p>
<p>Turning around, Dio leaned back through the window and pulled Kakyoin and then Dean through. Once safely inside, Dio took a moment to close his eyes and focus on what he could hear. Absolutely nothing. Perfect. Nodding, he opened them again and looked at his friends. They glanced at each other, and then at him. </p>
<p>“What?” He asked, confused. </p>
<p>“That was the most like… well, yourself, you’ve acted since I came back,” Kakyoin told him. “I almost missed the cocky asshole DIO. You didn’t even tell us we were safe,” he said, laughing.</p>
<p>Dio shook his head. “I suppose being here subconsciously gave me a confidence boost,” He said, hoping it was a sufficient explanation. “Besides, I have far better senses than both of you. Trust me.”</p>
<p>“I do, Dio. Now, lets get to work,” Dean replied. </p>
<p>Kakyoin led Dio out of the room and into an open area. It was absolutely destroyed. Gouges in the walls and floor hinted at something huge, practically eating away at the building. Dio heard Kakyoin gasp, and the boy backed up into him. He didn’t know what happened here, but he knew it was bad. His chest clenched, but still, he couldn’t remember why he felt awful.</p>
<p>“Iggy… Avdol… I-I’m so sorry,” Kakyoin whispered, more to himself than Dio.</p>
<p>He recognized the name Avdol from somewhere, but he didn’t remember where. Dean made a noise behind them, though Kakyoin didn’t acknowledge it. He knelt for a moment, touching the floor in front of him. Without another word the boy stood and walked away, leaving Dio to follow him. The vampire didn’t ask about what had just happened. He didn’t want to upset his newest friend. </p>
<p>The upper floor was just as destroyed as the room downstairs. They began on one side, digging through rubble, praying the skull was still intact, or at least only cracked. They searched for what felt like several hours, though Dio had no way of knowing how long it had actually been. His hands were dirty and getting sore from digging. He was beginning to give up hope. </p>
<p>As he shifted another rock he saw a small, white shard of something. His heart sank. He didn’t want to acknowledge it yet. So he began to dig, carefully as he could. He made a pile next to him, of as many pieces as he could find. Finally, he had them all assembled in front of him. Very carefully, Dio picked them up. </p>
<p>He couldn’t stop the tears. This was his last chance, shattered in his hands. He sat on his knees in the middle of the room, sobbing, holding his own broken dreams. A warm body pressed up next to him, but he paid it no mind. He didn’t care. It was over. </p>
<p>Hierophant’s tentacles wrapped Dio up in their cold embrace. Kakyoin was trying to comfort him. He appreciated it, but nothing would help. He knew this would happen. He had known it was a possibility. But nothing prepared him for actually finding Jonathan like this. He didn’t know how long he sat there with Kakyoin. It didn’t really matter anyway. He had all the time in the world to get used to this. </p>
<p>“Kakyoin?” Dio finally asked, voice shaky. </p>
<p>“Yes Dio?”</p>
<p>“I think I’d like to go return this to him. And make my peace with it,” Dio told the boy. </p>
<p>Kakyoin nodded and stood. Hierophant Green took the pieces from Dio’s hands and placed them in a plastic bag, searching the floor before sealing it. Dio mumbled his thanks to the Stand before rising to his feet with Kakyoin’s help. His legs were stiff from being on the floor so long. </p>
<p>He looked up to see Dean standing in the doorway, looking at the floor. Dio’s chest clenched again. Why hadn’t he come over? How long had he been standing there? Dio ignored the questions running through his brain. He didn’t want to deal with it. He just wanted to go home.</p>
<p>Leaving the building was just as easy as getting in. Nobody seemed to be around to see them. It occurred to Dio that he technically was the owner of the property; he just didn’t know the laws surrounding death and revival in regards to ownership. Were there even laws about that? He shook his head to clear the unnecessary thoughts. Where had that even come from? Why did he think about such- never mind. He stopped himself with another head shake as they arrived at the car.</p>
<p>The air in the car felt heavy in Dio’s chest. The radio still played Dean’s rock music. He couldn’t pay any attention to it. Nothing felt real except the seat underneath him and the bag in his hands. His eyes drank in the buildings they passed but nothing stuck with him. It felt like forever until they arrived on the edge of the city and saw the house appearing over the sand. Thank god.</p>
<p>Dio headed slowly for the house. He felt as though Jonathan’s body was calling him. Drawing him in with an invisible string, just begging him to complete it with his head. The door was already open as he stepped inside. He didn’t bother shutting it behind him. The back room was still cool and quiet. From a certain angle Dio wondered if Jonathan would just look as though he was asleep. </p>
<p>Dio carefully laid the bag next to Jonathan’s neck. He stood, looking at them and drinking in his reality. Footsteps alerted him to someone else entering. Kakyoin strode into his line of sight a moment later. Dean was nowhere to be found.</p>
<p>“How are you doing?” Kakyoin asked quietly. His face gave away genuine concern. </p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Dio replied. “This is just… a lot to take in. It’s all I’ve been thinking about for months.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’ll bet. Don’t give up hope though,” Kakyoin said.</p>
<p>Dio blinked, confused. “What do you mean by that?” He asked. “This was my last chance. It’s over.”</p>
<p>Kakyoin smiled. “I mean that there might be someone out there who can help you. I always find with troubling art projects that taking some time away will bring you back with a fresh set of eyes and new ideas. So focus on something else for a while. Maybe help Dean with something,” He said.</p>
<p>“Speaking of Dean, where is he?” Dio asked. He would think more about Kakyoin’s metaphor later, but he did want to hold on to hope. Desperately.</p>
<p>“The other room. He said something about giving you privacy,” Kakyoin told him.</p>
<p>Dio’s heart sank. “Oh,” He said, frowning. “You obviously didn’t listen.”</p>
<p>“No, I didn’t. I think you need someone there for you. I don’t doubt there’s a lot going on in your head,” Kakyoin said softly.</p>
<p>“Yeah…” Dio replied. His chest felt heavy again.</p>
<p>Dio spoke again after another moment of silence. “He’s been there for me, though distantly, for all of my nightmares, all of my confusing episodes, everything. I thought he cared, even just a little. And yet he seems to be avoiding me now. He went to check on his car before Jonathan. I thought he cared enough to help me with that at least.”</p>
<p>Kakyoin nodded. “I noticed that. I assumed that was just how you two function. Maybe my presence makes him uncomfortable?” He suggested. </p>
<p>“I don’t know. But this isn’t how he acted before. It… hurts.” Dio admitted.</p>
<p>“You should tell him that,” Kakyoin said. “You’ll just feel bad for eternity if you let this go.”</p>
<p>“What do I say?” Dio asked. Nervous energy bunched itself in his stomach at the suggestion of having such a conversation. </p>
<p>“Maybe start with what you just told me. I’m really not the person to ask though. I’ve never had friends until now,” Kakyoin said. “I guess just be honest but nice. That’s the best I can think to tell you.”</p>
<p>Dio looked down at the body in front of him, nodding. It was worth a shot, especially if he wanted to stay with Dean in his search for his lover. Of course Kakyoin was right. A million scenarios played in his head over the next few moments. Dean rejecting him, telling him to fuck off. Dean realizing he was hurting his friend and apologizing. Dio decided to ignore all of the possibilities and suck it up to go talk to his human friend.</p>
<p>Dean was reading a book on the couch. Dio approached him quietly and sat down. Dean made no move to look at him, much less acknowledge his presence. Dio sighed. Maybe this was harder than he had expected. He tried to formulate his words as best he could, but any coherent or kind sentence escaped him. He finally decided to just open his mouth and say something.</p>
<p>“Dean?” He said aloud. Dean grunted in response and glanced toward Dio. At the acknowledgment, Dio continued. “Why are you avoiding me?” He asked. </p>
<p>Dean set the book down on the table in front of them without looking at Dio. “What? I’m avoiding you?” he asked.</p>
<p>Dio sighed again. “Yes. When we came back? You went to check on the car. You should have helped me. Or in the mansion? Two weeks ago you would have at least sat next to me.”</p>
<p>“Well K-”</p>
<p>“Please let me finish,” Dio interrupted. He worried if he stopped talking he wouldn’t be able to get everything out. When Dean didn’t respond Dio continued. “Yes Kakyoin was there with me, but you would have helped more, even just being next to me. And just now. Kakyoin shouldn’t be the one helping me through this. He isn’t the one who has been helping me look for clues this whole time. I get that you don’t seem to do… emotional situations. But at least you tried for a while. That’s all I ask if I continue to stay with you.”</p>
<p>Dean stayed silent for a few minutes, processing Dio’s speech. Dio took the opportunity to gather himself again. He closed his eyes and breathed, fighting back the tears that were stinging the edges of his eyes. </p>
<p>“I realized I fucked up when we got back. I didn’t want to bring it up. I mean, I didn’t think it upset you that much. I’m… sorry for that. And for the mansion. And just now. You’re right, I’m not good at this. Probably why I haven’t seen Sam in years. Probably why Cas…” Dean trailed off.</p>
<p>“Never mind. I can’t be feeling sorry for myself. You deserve better from me dammit,” He said. </p>
<p>Dio smiled at his friend. “Thank you. And- if you don’t mind of course, I’d like to stay with you. For whatever you have planned. It’s the least I can do after everything you’ve done for me,” He told Dean.</p>
<p>“Actually, speaking of that,” Dean replied. “While you and Kakyoin were in there I was doing some more research.”</p>
<p>That piqued Dio’s interest. What sort of research could he have been doing? Was this what Kakyoin meant by holding on to hope? Maybe Dean had a way to repair Jonathan. He waited, practically on the edge of the couch waiting for Dean to keep going. He was so curious.</p>
<p>“You seem to have been busy when you were alive. You’ve got a son in Italy. I figured you might want to meet him,” Dean informed him.</p>
<p>Dio went cold. A son? A child? That was his? He had a living genetic connection? From his understanding, Jonathan’s body became his own genetically when he stole it, fusing to him completely. So the child was biologically his if Dean was right; Dio desperately hoped he was. And if the child was really out there, wouldn’t he want his father with him? Maybe he could have that…</p>
<p>“I’d like to meet him. But… if I were to do that I would want to… stay near him,” Dio picked his words carefully. “Even if his mother has moved on from me, he deserves that much.”</p>
<p>Dean nodded, looking thoughtful. “If that’s what you want, then yeah. Let’s move to Italy. We’ll lie about our living status and apply for citizenship. Hell, we can base any research we do about finding Cas from there too.”</p>
<p>Dio grinned. “Thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me, just that you would drop everything you have here in Egypt. I- thank you Dean,” He said.</p>
<p>Dean smiled right back at the vampire. “It’s no problem man. Egypt is too hot anyway. A change of pace is gonna be perfect.”</p>
<p>“While we’re on the topic of leaving,” Kakyoin interjected from the doorway. “I think I’d like to go back to Japan and tell my parents and my b- my Jotaro that I’m alright,” he said.</p>
<p>“I’m certain they’ll be happy to see you,” Dio said, affirming his friend.</p>
<p>“Hell yeah. I’ll get you a plane ticket then. Dio and I will be driving,” Dean told Kakyoin.</p>
<p>Kakyoin grinned. “Thank you Winchester-san. And thank you Dio. I suppose I can forgive you, with everything you’ve done for me,” He said.</p>
<p>Dio mouthed a ‘You’re welcome’ as Dean told them their plans for leaving. They would leave bright and early the next morning. Dio appreciated that it wasn’t this morning, as it was still dark out. They would drop Kakyoin off at the airport with money for a ticket. Then Dean and Dio would set off for Italy with Jonathan’s body. The drive would be somewhere around four days. Plenty of time to prepare to see his son.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading! Next chapter is going to be a huge change of pace, but I think I'll keep the reason as a surprise! Have a good day/night!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Where In the World Is Dean Winchester?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sam searches several leads in Japan, hoping to catch up with his now estranged brother.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rain dripped from Sam’s hair into his face. He wished he had brought an umbrella, or even just a hat. The storm reflected his mood, and the water in his face just served to frustrate him further. Cars passed him by on the street going about their own business, unaware of the desperate man trudging through the wet. He checked the paper again. The words were smudged; not enough that he couldn’t make out where he needed to go, but enough to irritate him more. This should’ve been easier.</p>
<p>It took another 20 minutes of walking to find the hotel. At least it was warm and dry in here. Sam approached the front desk carefully, trying not to drip on the floor too much. Other people in the lobby stared at him, silently judging. The woman behind the counter looked up as he approached her. She smiled at the American.</p>
<p>“What can I do for you sir?” She asked in English.</p>
<p>‘Thank god,’ Sam thought. He had brushed up on Japanese but it was a difficult language and he didn’t have much time.</p>
<p>Out loud he said, “Yes, I’m looking for someone who may have stayed here. Possibly under the name Jim Rockford? I need to get a hold of him as soon as possible, he’s my brother and he’s in danger.” </p>
<p>The woman typed the name into her computer. Her eyes scanned the screen before she looked back up at him. “No, sir. Nobody under that name, I’m sorry. Is there another name he may have used?” She asked.</p>
<p>“Maybe Dean Winchester? It’s a fake name he’s used before,” Sam told her. He doubted his brother would be stupid enough to use his real name, but it was worth a shot. At this point Sam was would do anything to find Dean.</p>
<p>The receptionist put in the name and smiled. “He was here about a month ago, him and another man. He checked out after three days,” she informed Sam.</p>
<p>Fuck. </p>
<p>“Did he happen to say where he was going? Like I said, I need to find him as soon as I can,” Sam questioned. </p>
<p>“No, just that he was on a family trip. I asked, but he said he didn’t know,” she replied.</p>
<p>Sam sighed. “Alright thank you for your time,” he said. “This is for your trouble.” As he finished speaking he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and slid a small wad of yen across the desk. </p>
<p>With that, Sam strode out of the hotel and back onto the street. The rain had finally cleared up, leaving him with a cold wind to dry off his wet clothes. The hotel hadn’t been a total bust at least. Now that Sam knew Dean had been here, he could make sure the grave robbery was actually his brother’s doing.</p>
<p>It was a surprisingly long walk to the graveyard. Sam internally cursed himself for not renting a car. Dean probably did. As he approached the gates, Sam scanned the ground for tire tracks that might indicate a quick escape. Nothing. He wandered inside the gate, adjusting his jacket. The graveyard was quiet, only a few families were visiting their loved ones. Sam pulled out his paper again to check the family name he was looking for, 花京院. </p>
<p>In the farthest corner of the cemetery Sam finally found his target. A man and a woman stood there, looking down at the ground. Sam approached cautiously, trying not to disturb them. If the boy was their son they were most likely sensitive.</p>
<p>The man turned around at the sound of Sam’s footsteps, stopping the American in his tracks. “Are you an investigator?” he asked Sam.</p>
<p>“Yes, sir. I’m Samuel Soule. I’m an American private investigator; I specialize in cases like this,” Sam responded, motioning to the grave.</p>
<p>The man nodded. “We are his parents,” he said, his tone somber.</p>
<p>“I’m very sorry you have to go through this Mr. Kakyoin,” Sam said. It broke his heart to see grieving parents uprooted with something so horrible.</p>
<p>“Do you mind if I ask a few questions?” He asked after a few moments of silence. </p>
<p>“Of course not,” Mrs. Kakyoin said. Her husband nodded next to her.</p>
<p>“Did your son have any… enemies? Or someone who might have wanted to hurt him?” Sam asked. He hated this part, the faces of everybody he had asked played through his mind, pained and upset.</p>
<p>“No,” Mr. Kakyoin answered. “Really, he had no friends either. We can’t imagine why somebody would do this…”</p>
<p>“We want him to rest. His only friend said he went through a lot before-” Mrs. Kakyoin cut herself off. </p>
<p>“I understand,” Sam told them. “I’ll do my best to bring whoever did this to justice.”</p>
<p>“Thank you Mr. Soule,” Mr. Kakyoin said. “Perhaps talk to his friend, Kujo Jotaro. I can give you his address,” he added.</p>
<p>Sam nodded. “I would appreciate it. He might have information.”</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>It had been three hours and the cab driver was officially lost. He was an older gentleman, obviously experienced, but Mr. Kakyoin’s instructions seemed to have stumped him. Sam sighed again. Every minute spent in this car was another minute that Dean could get farther away. Chasing his brother was just so frustrating. The man was a genius at erasing his tracks. For a while Sam had felt like he was 22 again, chasing John. This time though, he was alone, with no brother to work with. </p>
<p>He hadn’t seen any evidence aside from the somewhat fresh dirt at the cemetery. Dean was definitely behind this. But why would Dean, who hated necromancers, keep robbing graves over and over. Every case Sam had found in America had no traces of bone burning left behind. Either Dean had been doing too well at hiding his activity, or he was raising the bodies. Both options sucked. </p>
<p>“Did whoever wrote this happen to give you a family name?” The driver asked, interrupting Sam’s introspection. “These directions are too confusing. I know this city, I might be able to find them that way.”</p>
<p>“The man I talked to said I need to find Kujo Jotaro,” Same told his driver. </p>
<p>“Kujo? I know where that is. This guy is way off. I can get you there,” the driver said. </p>
<p>“You look surprised,” Sam commented.</p>
<p>“Well, it’s just that Kujo Jotaro is the son of Kujo Sadao. He’s pretty famous,” The man said.</p>
<p>“He’s a musician, right?” Sam asked.</p>
<p>“That’s right, and a damn good one. You like jazz?” the driver asked.</p>
<p>“Not really my thing, but I can appreciate the art of it,” Sam replied, smiling at the rear-view mirror.</p>
<p>“You ought to find some of his songs. Very worth it. And we’re here,” the driver said.</p>
<p>“Thank you sir,” Sam said, opening the door and handing his driver a wad of cash. “I hope that covers for the trouble of finding this house,” he added.</p>
<p>The man smiled, counting the money. “Oh, definitely. You stay safe young man,” he called as Sam got out and shut the cab door.</p>
<p>The estate in front of him was huge. Mr. Kujo must be pretty damn famous to have a place like this. As Sam approached the house, a blonde, American looking woman poked her head out from behind a door. He guessed she was Jotaro’s mother.</p>
<p>“Can I help you sir?” She called out. Her voice was high pitched and sweet sounding. </p>
<p>“Yes I-” Sam froze solid as the woman stepped out. For just a moment, Sam thought he was face to face with his own mother. She looked so similar. Sam’s heart raced in his chest as he calmed himself down. This wasn’t Mary Winchester. Now that he got a closer look, there were differences. But at first glance… shit that threw him off.</p>
<p>Sam cleared his throat, trying to act casual. “Sorry. Uh, I’m looking for a Kujo Jotaro. I’m Samuel Soule, a private investigator from America,” he told the woman.</p>
<p>“It’s very nice to meet you Mr. Soule! I’m his mother. I assume you’re here about Kakyoin?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Yes, ma’am. I specialize in these sorts of things. Grave robbings and the like,” He said.</p>
<p>She nodded. “Come with me. He’s inside with his son,” She said, grabbing Sam’s hand and leading him toward the house.</p>
<p>“The police have asked him a lot of questions. He’s… a good boy but he can get grumpy. He might not want to answer,” Mrs. Kujo added as the two stepped onto the porch.</p>
<p>“I understand. I’ll make it brief,” Sam told her.</p>
<p>The inside of the room was homely and warm. A large young man sat on the floor with a toddler. Sam guessed that the man was Jotaro, and the toddler must be his son. In front of them a television played some cartoon that seemed to have both of them enraptured. Sam couldn’t see the man’s eyes from under the brim of his hat, but his mouth looked slack, neutral. </p>
<p>Both looked up as Sam and Mrs. Kujo entered the room. Sam could only see one of the young man’s eyes now. It was the most intense blue-green he had ever seen in a person. His thick eyebrows made him look more intimidating, but his hunched posture on the floor didn’t add to his demeanor. </p>
<p>The toddler had mostly hidden behind Jotaro now, big green eyes peering out from behind the man. From what Sam could see he looked a lot like his father. Sam smiled down at the pair and the toddler retreated into Jotaro’s heavy black jacket. </p>
<p>“This is Samuel Soule. He’s here to talk to you about Kakyoin,” Mrs. Kujo told the man on the floor.</p>
<p>“Why? I’ve already told the cops everything. They aren’t going to do sh- crap,” Jotaro responded. His voice was about as deep as Sam had expected from his appearance, but far more quiet. </p>
<p>“I specialize in cases like his. I might be able to help more,” Sam told the man. “I just need to ask you a few things. The cops don’t always tell me everything.”</p>
<p>“Fine.”</p>
<p>Sam sat down on the floor near Jotaro. The toddler in the younger man’s coat peeked out from the dark. Sam smiled at him. </p>
<p>“So, Mr. Kujo, d-”</p>
<p>“Just call me Jotaro,” Jotaro interrupted.</p>
<p>“Uh, sure. Jotaro, did Kakyoin have any enemies that might want to hurt his body. Anybody who might want to mess with his rest?” Sam asked.</p>
<p>“No. It’s-” Jotaro paused to put his hands inside his jacket, covering the boy’s ears. “It’s fucked up. Pisses me off that somebody would disrespect him like that. Never did anything to anybody.” Jotaro’s tone was harsh. Sam could understand his anger. He couldn’t tell if he was faking it to make Sam believe him, but it was unlikely.</p>
<p>“That’s why I’m here. I have an idea of who it might’ve been based on the lack of evidence. I just need to make sure,” Sam told him. “Did anybody talk to you about him before he disappeared?” </p>
<p>“No. I just woke up one morning and saw the paper. Nobody has any idea where he could have been taken either. My friend, he’s in France, has been keeping an eye on police shit for me. Nothing yet,” Jotaro said. “I just… I want him put at rest. I don’t know what I’m going to tell Jouta.”</p>
<p>Jotaro gestured into his coat where Jouta was still hiding. It was definitely a tough situation, Sam knew. He didn’t know how to explain it either. If Dean were here he would know what to tell the kid. He was so much better with young children.</p>
<p>“I don’t know either. I promise I’ll get to the bottom of this though. Is Jouta yours?” Sam asked, trying to lighten the mood a little.</p>
<p>“Yeah I- his uh-” Jotaro stuttered.</p>
<p>“Was Kakyoin his other parent?” Sam asked. He kept his voice soft and quiet, and smiled at the young man as he spoke. </p>
<p>Jotaro nodded, looking at the floor and pulling his hat down over his face. “He was born after…” He said.</p>
<p>“I get it,” Sam said. “I’m pansexual. And my brother is trans. I understand.”</p>
<p>Jotaro looked up from under the brim of his hat. Sam saw one corner of his mouth turn up a little and saw a tear slipped down Jotaro’s cheek and drip down, to be swallowed in the darkness of his jacket. Sam would still ask Mrs. Kujo for an alibi, but he was certain Jotaro didn’t ask for this.</p>
<p>Sam stood and looked down at Jotaro and Jouta on the floor. “I’m going to do everything I can to catch the person who did this,” He said. </p>
<p>Jotaro nodded up at him. Sam heard a quiet ‘thank you’ as he stepped out of the room. Mrs. Kujo was out in the yard on her hands and knees, plants and flowers scattered around her. Sam approached from the side, hoping she would see him.</p>
<p>“I’m not accusing your son of anything, but where was he on the night Kakyoin disappeared?” he asked. “Has he been spending time away from home or talking to strange people?”</p>
<p>“No, he’s been at home for the most part since Jouta was born. He doesn’t have a lot of friends anymore, really. Things were… hard for him after Kakyoin died,” She said. </p>
<p>Sam looked away from her, toward the driveway. “I see. Thank you,” He said. </p>
<p>“Of course honey,” she replied. “Good luck with your search.”</p>
<p>“Thanks,” Sam said, turning to leave. </p>
<p>Dean had been here, that was for sure, but Sam had no way to know where he was headed next. Another dead end, yet again. He wouldn’t give up though, he would be keeping an eye on international news and police scanners, holed up somewhere again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A bit of a deviation, but I really wanted to include Sam as much as I narratively can. It's a bit shorter than the last few chapters, but I didn't really know how much I could do with him for now. Don't worry, Sam's little adventures will get more fun later! Thank you as always for reading, I hope you enjoy! I'll get started on the next chapter ASAP!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dio finds his son and maybe a couple of other pleasant and unpleasant surprises along the way.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Italy was a gorgeous country. The drive through the countryside had been one of the most beautiful things Dio had ever seen. His excitement had just grown the farther they got through the land. Of course, Dean made it a point to stop at as many famous landmarks as he possibly could, making the trip far longer than it really needed to be. Dio, of course, wasn’t complaining. The two had taken hundreds of pictures so that Dio could never forget it. OThey couldn’t stay in any one place for long, if anybody saw what they had in the trunk they would be turned in to the cops for sure. </p><p>Fortunately, the trip had gone off without a hitch, and they were finally in Naples, where Dean said that Dio’s son, Haruno lived. Dio was trying his hardest not to fall asleep in the passenger seat, but it was late, and Dean was right there, and he was safe. Before he knew it he could no longer keep his eyes open. The quiet rumble of the car’s engine soothed him, though he didn’t quite fall asleep. </p><p>Dio felt the car roll to a stop, and Dean shut the engine off. They sat there in silence, Dio not wanting to move at all. He knew they had to get out and get a room, but god did he want to just sit right here forever. The seat wasn’t even comfortable, though with how long they had been in the car Dio couldn’t help but wonder if the leather had an indent the shape of his ass.</p><p>“Hey. Dio. We’re at a hotel. You can sleep in there, man. More comfy than my car seats,” Dean said quietly. </p><p>Dio sighed and opened his eyes. “Oh but Dean, your car is the most comfortable and perfect thing in the universe, don’t you know this?” Dio whined dramatically, drawing out his words for effect.</p><p>“Well of course she is, shes my car. I am NOT letting you sleep in here if I can help it though. Come on sleepydick,” Dean said, laughing.</p><p>“Dean, I may be behind on the times, but I believe the phrasing is sleepyhead,” Dio said. With that he shifted, unbuckling his seat belt, and got out of the car. </p><p>“Hey shut up!” Dean said, still getting out. “You sound like my brother. If I was over there I’d punch you!”</p><p>“You love me!” Dio replied.</p><p>“Don’t know why!”</p><p>Dio didn’t say anything else; he decided to get to work getting Jonathan out of the trunk, still laughing. Dean ran off to get a room key, returning after a couple of minutes with one in his hand. He led Dio, who carried the body, into their room. Dio set it down on one of the beds, leaving the other open for them. Dean didn’t say anything about it, so Dio assumed he did what he was supposed to. </p><p>The two began to settle down for the night, getting into their pajamas. Dio collapsed onto the bed, letting the exhaustion take him over. He was asleep before Dean even came to bed, though he felt arms wrap around him through the thick fog of his sleep. He smiled, letting himself be held. Dean must have been just as tired as him to be holding him so willingly. He appreciated it.</p><p>Dio’s dreams were happier than usual. The faceless man, Jonathan, was joking and laughing with him about something. His voice sounded far away. Dio couldn’t understand him, but he found himself laughing anyway. He couldn’t hear his own response either. It was as if he was listening to the conversation from far away, even though he was sitting right here, in his own body. It worried him, but Jonathan being right there somehow put him at ease.</p><p>After a short conversation, Jonathan and Dio stood. Jonathan moved closer to Dio and pulled him into a hug. The sensation was so familiar and so damn real. Tears welled up in Dio’s eyes as he stood there, letting himself be hugged. His crying went no farther; Jonathan just held him close.</p><p>Suddenly, very clearly in his ears, Dio heard Jonathan’s voice, “I’ve missed you Dio. Thank you for spending time with me. Will I see you again soon?”</p><p>Dio’s response still felt far away, and suddenly he was being shaken and waking up. Morning light filtered through red curtains in his hotel room with Dean. The human was awake and dressed already, standing over Dio, one hand on the vampire’s arm. Dio groaned and looked at the clock in between the beds. 9:43.</p><p>“You ok?” Dean asked.</p><p>“Yes, why?” Dio responded.</p><p>“Dude, you’re crying. Was it another nightmare?” The human clarified.</p><p>Oh. Dio hadn’t even realized the tears from his dream were real. “Actually… for once it was a good dream…” he said. His words slurred a bit as the sleep still drained from his being.</p><p>“So good it brings you to tears huh? Damn,” Dean said with a chuckle. He straightened up and stepped back, allowing room for Dio to sit up and swing his legs off the edge of the bed. </p><p>“I’m about to head out to start working on our citizenship stuff. I’ll probably be gone all day, paperwork and shit,” Dean continued. He handed a wallet to Dio. “This is my spare wallet. I wrote down my cell number, the address of the place, and what you’re supposed to do today. In case you forget. There’s money for a cab too, no getting lost, you hear me?”</p><p>Dio took the wallet. “Thank you. I… really appreciate you accommodating me like this,” he said.</p><p>“Hey, don’t mention it. You said it yourself, you need me to be there for you and all that. I’m gonna do my damned best,” Dean replied with a smile. “And actually, I got some of your clothes out for you. Save you time.”</p><p>Dio stood and hugged his friend with another ‘thank you’. Dean made a surprised noise, but he made no move to stop him. Dio himself wasn’t even certain why he did it, but whatever part of his subconscious that wanted it was pleased. He let go after a few minutes and smiled.</p><p>“Sorry I’m not really sure why I did that” Dio told the human.</p><p>“Do I look like I’m complaining?” Dean joked back. “I had better get going. Don’t let go of that wallet.”</p><p>Dean left the room with a wave and Dio was alone. He kept the wallet gripped tight in his hand as he threw the clothes on. The wallet ended up safely in one pocket of the shorts he took out of his bag. Dean’s taste in clothes had ended up being his, though he wasn’t complaining. He hadn’t really thought about what sort of clothes he might want to wear if he was being honest with himself.</p><p>That didn’t matter right now though. Dio needed to find his son. He left the hotel with his hands in his pockets, one holding on to the key and the other on Dean’s wallet. The street was fairly quiet for such a nice morning, though a few people walked up and down the sidewalk. None of them acknowledged Dio’s presence. He pulled out the paper with Dean’s instructions. Hail a cab. He could do that.</p><p>~~~</p><p>A tired looking woman opened the door to the house. Dio had double checked the address at least 7 times before knocking. So this was Haruno’s mother. She looked angry, and the bags under her eyes gave away a lack of sleep. She didn’t ring a bell in his mind, so he hoped she would recognize him at the very least.</p><p>“Uhhh, do I know you?” She asked. Her voice was loud and grating on Dio’s ears.</p><p>“Yes, I believe we may have had uh, a connection somewhere around 7 or 8 years ago,” Dio told her. “I’ve received word that you had a child because of it.”</p><p>She peered at him from the doorway. Her dark eyes judged him silently for a moment. Did she recognize him? Was she just faking it? Dio, for his part, was still wracking his brain trying to call back the memory of his apparent relation with this woman, but nothing occurred to him.</p><p>“Wait… you… you abandoned me!” She yelled.</p><p>Dio sighed. “I know. I regret that. I have been given a chance to change though. I thought I could move here and make it up to you and Haruno at least,” he said. </p><p>“I’ve moved on, idiot,” She told him, and motioned back into the house. Dio looked over her shoulder and saw a large man shaped shadow moving around. He was bent over something, and talking loudly.</p><p>“I understand that,” Dio replied. “I still think it would be fair if I lived nearby and spent time with my son. I owe it to him.”</p><p>“Like fuck you do! I don’t want you to have anything to do with us!” she continued yelling.</p><p>“Alright, alright. Just let me meet him once,” Dio pleaded. He put on what he hoped was his best pouty face.</p><p>The woman looked exasperated, but she opened the door anyway and stepped aside. “Yeah, whatever just make it quick,” she snapped. </p><p>Dio nodded and entered the house. None of the lamps were on but natural light filtered in through all of the windows. The large, brown haired man stepped away from what he had been leaning over on the floor, revealing it to be a small child. Dio guessed his son would be around 6 or 7, but he was tiny. A sick feeling formed in the vampire’s gut. </p><p>He approached the boy slowly, hoping not to scare him. Big, sea green eyes stared up at him. It would’ve been cute if Dio didn’t know the little one was probably terrified of him. Dio got as close as he dared, still a foot or two away and got on his knees, closer to his son.</p><p>“Hello Haruno,” he said. “I’m your other father. I helped your mother make you. Some bad things happened to me and I got separated from you for a while, so I came to meet you,” he told the boy, smiling. </p><p>Haruno still stared up at him, eyes wide and mouth slack with surprise. He slowly picked himself up, carefully placing his hands on the floor to go from sitting on one hip to on his knees, hands in front of him. He leaned forward, and his dark bangs fell a bit over his face. It made him look serious for his age. A dark bruise adorned his cheek. Dio almost mistook it for a shadow.</p><p>“You’re really my father?” He asked in a whisper. </p><p>Dio nodded, and before he could say anything Haruno leapt at him. His tiny arms wrapped around Dio’s larger frame as much as possible and squeezed him tight. Dio returned the hug far more gently. He decided to take this opportunity to ask a question that had been burning in the front of his mind for the last several minutes.</p><p>“Little one,” he whispered. “I saw your bruise. Are they hurting you?”</p><p>Dio felt Haruno nod against his neck. “He hits me… and mama doesn’t do anything ever…” Haruno told his father.</p><p>Dio knew what needed to happen. He couldn’t let his son suffer any longer. He let go of the child and stood, turning to face Haruno’s “parents”. His step-father glared at Dio from the doorway, where he stood with Haruno’s mother. Dio looked back at his son, still on his knees on the floor. Time to make a bad decision.</p><p>“Haruno, I would like to speak with your parents privately. Why don’t you run to your room, hmm?” He said. </p><p>Haruno nodded, and took the opportunity to run. Dio waited until he heard a door shut upstairs. He listened a bit harder and heard Haruno’s fast heartbeat. The kid was scared, but hopefully not of him. It didn’t matter. Dio would be taking care of this. </p><p>As he turned back to Haruno’s parents, he realized that the man had stepped toward him already. No matter, Dio was much faster. If he was going to do this, he needed to make sure he was as quiet as possible. That meant he had to be accurate. If he missed, he would pay, and probably in jail time. </p><p>Haruno’s step-father finally got himself within range of Dio and tried to punch him. The vampire was faster, and side-stepped. He pushed himself forward, toward Haruno’s mother; grabbing her, he covered her mouth with one hand to keep her from screaming and readied a shock spell with the other. It took a moment before the human man realized Dio wasn’t there anymore. He seemed to have lost his balance from missing his punch.</p><p>As the man turned around, Dio fired his spell, hitting him square in the chest. Electricity coursed through his body, stopping him and his heart in its tracks. He hit the floor with a thump. Satisfied that he was out for the moment, Dio turned his attention to the woman in his hands. She was beginning to struggle now, but he was stronger. </p><p>His teeth met her neck and her demise came quickly. Energy coursed through him as he fed on her. God, this felt so good. He hadn’t had a proper meal in months. Dio tried not to feel bad about how nice this felt. As soon as she was bones, he turned back to Haruno’s step-father. His heartbeat had stopped. Good, the spell was as effective as he had hoped. Dio quickly did away with him too. </p><p>He got to work fast, gathering up the bones and putting them in a wooden box that he found in the kitchen. He carried it out to the back yard, picked a spot at random, and began to dig with a shovel he had found in the yard. He figured that Kakyoin’s grave had been about as deep as Dean was tall, and Dean had told him that he was a little over 6 feet tall. Dean was a few inches shorter than Dio. By that logic Dio decided to dig until he could just see out of the hole. </p><p>It didn’t take as long as he had expected to dig the grave. He wondered how he looked with his head sticking out of a hole in the ground. Dean probably would have laughed at him. He chuckled as he climbed out of the hole he had made. Dio dumped the box inside and began the much easier work of covering the hole. He counted himself lucky that there wasn’t much grass back here. The grave would be hard to find if anyone got suspicious. </p><p>Finally, Dio stepped back and admired his work. He tried to make it look as though he had never dug anything. The fresh dirt gave it away; though now that he thought about it, it would integrate into the rest of the ground before long. </p><p>Dio headed back into the silent house. Haruno was probably still in his room. Dio would go get him in a moment, he had a phone call to make. He pulled out Dean’s paper and punched in the number. Dean answered after a few rings.</p><p>“Hello.”</p><p>“Dean, it’s Dio. I met Haruno,” Dio said into the receiver.</p><p>“Dio! How did it go? Talk as long as you want, I need a break from this. I think my brain is soup,” Dean replied. </p><p>Dio laughed. “It went… better than I expected. But… we have a place to stay as long as we can uh, fudge the paperwork.”</p><p>“More paperwork?” Dean asked incredulously. “What, did they just give the house to you? You better not have scared them with the vampire thing.”</p><p>“No, no I um. Can anyone hear you?” Dio asked. He didn’t want them to get in trouble.</p><p>“No, I’m alone in here. This is a secure connection. Dio, what the hell did you do?” Dean replied.</p><p>“I killed and ate them. I needed human blood anyway. They were abusing him! But as long as we can fake the papers for the house into our name we have a home,” Dio explained.</p><p>“And a son,” He added after Dean stayed silent.</p><p>“Forging that is your job, I’m sick of paperwork. Guess that works out though,” Dean said.</p><p>“Yeah,” Dio responded. “Come here when you’re done. I’ll tell Haruno that… I suppose that I told them to leave.”</p><p>“That works. But we are never telling that kid you killed his parents.”</p><p>“Of course. See you in a few hours.”</p><p>Dio set the phone down. He began to search through as many papers as he could find. Nothing was sorted at all, making it more of a headache. Was this how Dean felt right now? Probably. Finally, he found the paper he was looking for, stating that the house was in Haruno’s former parents names. </p><p>Dio got to work. Dean had taught him a spell that rearranged ink on paper, to make things look like however you wanted. Carefully, Dio shifted the primary owner’s name into Dean’s. They had spent time practicing forging each other’s signatures back in Egypt, and Dio was damn grateful for it now. Once he was satisfied with Dean’s name he focused on the secondary owner. It took significantly less time to forge his own signature. </p><p>He set the deed aside and began to sort through the pile in front of him. He would go through it more thoroughly later, when he had time, but for now at least figuring out what was important was enough. </p><p>Quiet footsteps alerted him to Haruno coming back downstairs. Fuck. He had forgotten that the boy was upstairs still. He had meant to go get him. At least he didn’t forget to forge the deed.</p><p>“Haruno?” Dio called out into the house.</p><p>Haruno’s head appeared from around the a corner. “Yeah?” The child asked.</p><p>“Ah, there you are. I had to take care of some things, I’m sorry I left you up there quite so long,” Dio told the boy.</p><p>“Oh. I’m sorry,” Haruno replied simply.</p><p>“You have no need to apologize little one. Are you hungry?” Dio asked.</p><p>Haruno nodded. Dio stood from his seat and led his new son to the kitchen. He was no good at cooking. Maybe there was something easy he could get his son as a snack until Dean came home. Thankfully, the refrigerator had plenty of food inside. To Dio’s great surprise none of it was spoiled. He began to pull out ingredients to make a sandwich.</p><p>“Where are my mama and her husband?” Haruno asked Dio as the vampire worked on the food.</p><p>“Well, I’m not sure,” Dio replied, picking his words carefully. “I told them to leave us alone or I would get them in trouble with the law. I know it’s going to be a big change, but my friend and I are going to take care of you now.”</p><p>Haruno looked thoughtful as Dio turned around to hand the child his sandwich. He took it from his father hesitantly and the two headed for what Dio presumed was the dining room. </p><p>“Is your friend nice?” Haruno asked as they settled down at the wooden table.</p><p>“Yes, he’s very nice. You’ll like him,” Dio replied. “And we’ll take good care of you. I promise you that.”</p><p>Haruno nodded. Without another word, he picked up the sandwich with both hands and took the biggest bite his little mouth possibly could. Dio smiled at Haruno and sat quietly, watching him eat. The sandwich was gone within five minutes. </p><p>~~~</p><p>“I can’t believe we’ve basically kidnapped a child,” Dean said as he sat with Dio on the couch in their new home.</p><p>“And stole a house,” Dio added. “What, are you having second thoughts? I could stay here alone with-”</p><p>“No.” Dean stared at Dio, his face resolute and hand on Dio’s shoulder. “I am not about to undo six fucking hours worth of paperwork.”</p><p>Dio laughed along with his friend. It had been three days and Dean still wouldn’t let it go, albeit jokingly. Dio did have to admit it was amusing. A quiet heartbeat from behind them prompted Dio to turn around. Haruno was looking around the corner at them. Only his eyes and the top of his head were visible. Dio smiled at the boy, prompting him to come out from behind the wall and approach the men shyly.</p><p>“Morning Haruno,” Dean said to the boy in front of him. </p><p>Haruno flinched and looked at the floor. Worry sprouted in Dio’s chest. He glanced at Dean, who looked just as concerned as Dio felt. The kid acted as though he had been physically hit. Did he dislike his name? Was it the way Dean had said it? Dio had no idea.</p><p>“What’s wrong kiddo? Did I scare you?” Dean asked.</p><p>Haruno shook his head.</p><p>“Can you tell me what’s wrong? I won’t do it again. Last thing I want is to hurt you, ok?” Dean told the boy. He smiled and leaned forward with his hands on his legs, but made no move to touch Haruno.</p><p>The boy shrank in on himself, making him look smaller than he already was. His eyes stayed on the floor as he stood, silent. Dean motioned him forward, and he obeyed, coming to stand in front of the man. Dean whispered something that Dio could have easily heard if he wanted to try. Instead the vampire focused on the sounds of birds outside, waiting for the quiet conversation to end.</p><p>Dio heard Dean sit up straight and turned to meet him. The human had one hand on Haruno’s shoulder, his thumb rubbing his arm comfortingly. Haruno looked up at Dio, still keeping his face down. The vampire smiled at his son, hoping it would calm his nerves.</p><p>“Go on, you can tell him. I promise he’ll like it,” Dean prompted the boy.</p><p>“Um…” Haruno started. “Can I be called Giorno instead?” he asked.</p><p>Relief washed through Dio’s body. It was just his name that upset him. That was a far easier problem to fix than anything else Dio had tried not to think of. Hell, Giorno had given them a solution already, they didn’t need to help him pick out a new name.</p><p>“Of course, Giorno! I’ll get it legally changed if you’d like too,” Dio told his son, grinning at him.</p><p>Giorno’s face lit up with a smile bigger than Dio had ever seen on him. His eyes sparkled as he lifted his face to look at his father. Dio felt pride well up in his chest at the sight. The shy, scared child that he had met three days prior was already coming out of his shell a little bit. It would probably take years for him to heal, but this was a good start, just treating him well and seeing him smile. And today they would be official citizens, as soon as Dean turned in the last of the documents.</p><p>“Oh, right, Dean, you should probably get going,” Dio said suddenly. He hadn’t realized how long he had been sitting there, watching his son. </p><p>“Shit, you’re right,” Dean said, standing up from the couch. “I’ll be gone 20 minutes, tops.”</p><p>Dean walked away and Dio heard the jingle of keys in the kitchen, and then Dean was headed out the front door to Dio’s right. He was alone with Giorno now. The boy sat on the living room floor facing the couch, stacking toy horses on top of each other. Amused, Dio watched him work. His little face was scrunched up in concentration as he bent the legs this way and that. Dio applauded as the boy finished his horse pyramid. Giorno looked up at the noise, surprised. As soon as Dio smiled at him he relaxed, smiling and looking down at his pyramid.</p><p>A knock on the door interrupted their quiet celebration. Dio turned his head from his son to the front of the house. A car he didn’t recognize was parked on the street. He stood up and headed for the door. Perhaps someone was here for the papers that Dean was turning in. A simple mistake that Dio would certainly be able to deal with. He was an adult after all.</p><p>As he opened the door he caught sight of writing on the side of the car outside, though he didn’t recognize the words. Dean had been trying to help him study Italian but it was hard. The man in front of the vampire was well built, but shorter than Dio. His dark hair was shaved close to his head, though his eyebrows were thick and uncut. His brows, coupled with the serious expression painted across his weathered face and a scar on the bridge of his nose, made him look far more intimidating than Dio would have liked. He wore a dark suit.</p><p>“Good morning. My name is Enzo Mariano. I am here about the child currently living here under your care. He must be taken into custody as his parents are missing and you are not his legal guardian. I require your cooperation in this,” He told Dio, flashing a badge as he finished speaking.</p><p>“I’m sorry, there must be a mistake Mr. Mariano. I’m Haruno’s biological father, and we are going through the adoption process right now,” Dio replied. A sick feeling welled in his stomach.</p><p>“That is blatantly. You, Dio Brando, are currently applying for citizenship,” Mariano retorted. “I’ve been in contact with the offices where your… partner has been applying.”</p><p>“Well, we’re approved, Dean is turning in the papers right now. I don’t see what the problem is if we’re already going through the process,” Dio said. He moved to the side, holding the door with his right hand and keeping the left on the frame, effectively blocking Mariano’s view and access into the house. He couldn’t kill a government official, that would just land him in more trouble.</p><p>A rumbling engine caught both of their attention, causing Mariano to turn away before he could reply. Dean’s car pulled up and parked in behind the government car. Thank god. Dean was here now, and according to his accounts he could weasel and lie his way out of anything. Dean got out of the car and jogged up the walk, concern painted across his features. </p><p>“Hey, what’s going on here?” He asked Mariano. “I’ve gone through all the paperwork. Hell, the deed is in our name already. Don’t tell me I missed something.”</p><p>Mariano turned around fully. “Oh, no you didn’t miss anything. I’m here for Haruno Shiobana. You and your friend here are immigrants. That means you can’t adopt unless you’re married. You should know that, you said yourself that you filed everything,” he told Dean.</p><p>Dean glared at the man from his position on the walkway. Dio saw his right hand slip into his pocket, probably a reflex from his past. Mariano didn’t seem to care. He stepped down from the porch. For a moment Dio hoped he would just leave them alone.</p><p>“You need to surrender the child peacefully or I will be forced to call in reinforcements, and I don’t think you want your standing as good new citizens to be tarnished, do you?” Mariano said. </p><p>His threat struck Dio to his core. He didn’t want to give up his son, but he didn’t want anything else to happen him and Dean either. Any way Dio looked at it, Giorno would be left without his new parents. Dio didn’t think he could bear that.</p><p>“Fine.”</p><p>Dio snapped his head up to look at Dean. He still glared at Mariano, defiant. His hand was out of his pocket, clenched in a fist. Dio could practically see the rage burning in him. They had both reached the same conclusion then. They had to give up peacefully. If Dio killed and ate Mariano, more officials would be after them, and the consequences would be far worse. Tears welled up in Dio’s eyes as Dean approached the house, up past Mariano. Dio hesitated for a moment, but eventually gave in. </p><p>Everything felt like a blur. He could hear Giorno crying out for him, and then the door shut and the sound was muted. Dio was left alone with Dean in the house. Giorno was gone. It was hopeless. Dio couldn’t stop himself from crying. Everything he had worked for, all of the effort he had put into finding his son, gone in three days.</p><p>He didn’t know how long he had been crying on the couch when something heavy sat next to him. A glass pressed against his lips, forcefully tilting his head back to drink. He was grateful for it, his mouth felt dryer than anything he had seen in Egypt. As he drank he felt his tears receding. That was good he supposed, to be in control of his emotions. A shuddering sigh escaped him and he leaned into Dean next to him.</p><p>Dean’s arm wrapped around his shoulders. “Hey. Feel any better?” he asked.</p><p>“No. He’s gone,” Dio admitted, shaking his head. “I hoped things would get better here, at least for me…”</p><p>“Yeah. I know the feeling. Listen, you heard what that jackass said. We need to be married to get him back,” Dean replied. </p><p>Dio laughed before his friend could go any farther. “It’s ridiculous,” He said. “I just- I can’t- fuck.” He finished. He couldn’t find the words to tell Dean anything. His face felt tight and hot. He could feel the tear tracks drying on his skin. He couldn’t think.</p><p>Dean nodded next to Dio and stood up. The vampire assumed he was going to get more water or something. Instead of heading for the kitchen, Dean got on one knee in front of Dio, who still sat on the couch. His hand’s found Dio’s, gripping them tight. Dean’s hands were warm and strong, his calloused fingers scratched against Dio’s palms. </p><p>“I told you I would help you as much as I can. Now, you can’t go telling people I’m acting all sappy like this and it’ll never happen again, that’ll ruin the tough guy image I’ve got going. But I’m gonna to do everything in my power to fix this for you. So, I have an idea, and I gotta make this moment special,” Dean said. He was giving Dio what the vampire could only describe as a ‘sad puppy’ expression.</p><p>“And what is that?” Dio asked, confused. “I mean, WE can’t get married. What about Castiel? I don’t want to stand in the way of anything you two will have in the future.”</p><p>“Cas won’t give a shit. He isn’t human, he doesn’t care about marriage. He just- he wants to be near me, it doesn’t matter how to him,” Dean replied. </p><p>He lifted Dio’s hands to his lips and made a show of kissing each finger, emphasizing that this was special and drawing out the moment. His eyes were turned down, concentrating on his work with the same intensity he had when he cleaned his guns. His fingers rubbed Dio’s palms a bit as he kissed. Dio felt his face heating up at the blatant show of affection from his closed off friend.</p><p>“Dio Brando,” Dean said, looking up and meeting Dio’s eyes. “Will you marry me?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading! Sorry this took so long, life has been getting in the way a little bit and I lose motivation haha. Let me know if I need to tag anything!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dio has had two months to plan his wedding, and it's gone off without a hitch. But will Sam show up in time?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Me? Posting two chapters in quick succession? Maybe lol. Sorry I don't have a schedule, I just push out chapters when the next one is finished and sometimes it takes me a hot minute. This time though, the next chapter will be a let-up from the heavy story, so I had a chance to just slam it down in one sitting. But for now, I hope you enjoy wedding shenanigans!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dio’s journal sat open on his lap. Messy notes adorned its pages as he flipped through them, going over everything he had planned. Every detail had been meticulously written down and checked over. The flowers, the decorations, their rings, his dress, every little thing he could possibly think up in the two months he had to plan. A lot of things he had been able to skimp on, such as transportation and the wedding party. Dean’s car was plenty to carry the three people they had invited. </p>
<p>At least, if all of them showed up. As the wedding grew closer Dean had expressed his worry that his brother, Sam, wouldn’t show up at all. Dio tried to assure his friend that perhaps he had been busy and had only now gotten the invitation. That he would come. Dio didn’t want to admit that he was just as worried as Dean. He quietly prepared himself in case Dean got upset, though he doubted that would be the case.</p>
<p>“Hey, Dio, you ready to go home?” Dean asked from across the chapel. </p>
<p>Dio looked up and turned toward the sound of Dean’s voice. He stood at the doors with the priest, holding them open. Giorno must have already left with the government official that had brought him. Dio had gotten so focused on his notes that he had completely forgotten where he was. </p>
<p>“Yes, yes, I’m coming. I got lost in my notes I suppose,” he replied, gathering his things and standing up. </p>
<p>“Good. Gotta get to bed early so we can get here bright and early,” Dean said, smiling at Dio as he approached. </p>
<p>“Are we not picking Kakyoin up from the airport first?” Dio asked. Had he really remembered that before Dean? He surprised himself.</p>
<p>“Shit, yeah I spaced that,” Dean chuckled. “I’m impressed you’re the one who remembered that.”</p>
<p>Dio felt warm. Dean was impressed with him! He was doing well then, even without the therapy they had discussed. He wondered if his memory would become even stronger with time and professional help. It was worth hoping at least, especially if he could make Dean proud of him. </p>
<p>The trio exited the chapel together. Dean and Dio continued walking, waving their goodbyes to the priest, who busied himself locking the doors. The sunlight was fading quickly, leaving the sky a deep purple. The beauty made Dio pause for a moment at the car door, just admiring the colors over the horizon. He was glad they had chosen Italy as a permanent home. Egypt was beautiful but nothing could top this. </p>
<p>The sky darkened further as they drove through the city. Lights shone through every window they passed, bleeding out onto the street and giving the city a sparkling charm. Dio couldn’t wait to see all of this in winter, when the ground was blanketed with snow and everything sparkled just a little more. He closed his eyes and let the rumble of the car’s engine relax him into daydreaming.</p>
<p>Giorno played in the snow, laughing and throwing it around. Dean played with him. They were both bundled up in coats and heavy pants and hats. Dio could just see their faces through the scarves wrapped around their necks. The joy shone brighter than the sun reflecting off of the snow, warming Dio’s body and soul. He smiled to himself, content with just watching them play.</p>
<p>“What’s got you smiling?” Dean asked, breaking Dio out of the vision.</p>
<p>“Oh just… daydreaming I guess,” Dio replied sleepily, opening his eyes and looking at his friend. The car had parked at some point. They sat together in the dark of the front seat.</p>
<p>“Aweeee, excited?” Dean asked, grinning. His face practically lit up the space between them. </p>
<p>Dio smiled back and shook his head. “Maybe a little,” He replied sheepishly. His face felt warm.</p>
<p>“You’ll have a lot of time to dream in bed tonight. I think Kakyoin’s plane has landed,” Dean said. He opened the door as he finished speaking, getting out and heading for the airport doors. Dio quickly followed suit, still smiling at Dean’s back.</p>
<p>Dean had been right. Dio saw a shock of bright red hair standing out in the crowd of browns and yellows. Kakyoin seemed to notice them at the same time, his arm waved above the sea of heads. The three struggled through the small group of travelers, finally finding an open space. </p>
<p>Without thinking, Dio embraced his young friend, hugging him tight. Kakyoin groaned dramatically but he hugged back all the same, pressing his head into Dio’s chest. Dio held on a few seconds longer before finally letting go and allowing his friend to step back. </p>
<p>“It’s good to see you!” Dio exclaimed, grinning. </p>
<p>Kakyoin rolled his eyes. “What, like you didn’t just see me three months ago? Jeez, sentimental much?” he joked. </p>
<p>“Yes!” Dio responded, laughing. </p>
<p>Dean joined in on the laughter, positioning himself behind Dio and Kakyoin and pushing them toward the doors.</p>
<p>“We can be sentimental later, I’m so god damn hungry,” he said, still laughing. “Let’s stop somewhere to eat.”</p>
<p>Kakyoin nodded. “Definitely. Airline food is awful, it’s all I’ve had for the past two days.”</p>
<p>“Oh, you poor boy!” Dio said, getting into the car. “Where should we stop? We need to feed him.” he continued to Dean.</p>
<p>“I saw a restaurant not too far from here. Let’s have something there.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>Dio stood in entrance to the chapel, frozen with nerves. A clergyman stood next to him, smiling at him. He could hear the music but the pounding of his heart nearly drowned it out. Why was he so nervous about this now? He had been fine this morning, and as he put his dress on, and as Dean had driven him to the chapel, and even as Dean had departed to walk himself down the aisle. </p>
<p>The door opening and closing interrupted Dio’s nervous thoughts. Giorno ran behind his father to stand, waiting his next turn. The boy had been chosen to be both flower boy and ring bearer, as they didn’t have anybody else to do either job. “It’s your cue, go on!” the clergyman told him. Dio’s dead heart jumped in his chest. This was it. He could hear Giorno jumping excitedly behind him, waiting to be handed the rings that Dio had picked out.</p>
<p>The clergyman opened the door and Dio’s grip on his fake flowers tightened. Kakyoin was standing already, turned to face Dio as he entered. Some traditional song that the priest had recommended was playing, though why the man had insisted on it was lost on the vampire. Apparently it was important, so Dio went with it.</p>
<p>As he approached the altar, Dean looked down at him, grinning. Dio couldn’t help but smile back despite his nerves. All of his complaining aside, Dean looked so handsome in a tuxedo. Even standing up there, probably as nervous as Dio was, he looked sharp yet relaxed as always. A calm rock for Dio’s horrible nerves. And here, framed by the green, gold, and white balloons and decorations, he looked absolutely radiant. Dio’s heart jumped again as he came to stand in front of his friend. </p>
<p>Giorno entered next, carrying a pillow with their rings in his small hands. His little face was split wide with a smile. He looked so proud of himself, carrying the most important part of this whole ceremony. Dio watched with Dean as the young boy struggled to keep himself from running straight for his parents. He made it calmly, allowing the priest to take the pillow, and ran to sit next to Kakyoin.</p>
<p>Dio turned toward Dean as the priest began to speak. “We are gathered here this lovely morning to celebrate one of the most exciting and special moments in a couple’s life. It brings me great joy to be here, at the joining of these two men.”</p>
<p>“It’s a bit of an honor to be able to do a wedding as unusual as this one. The Lord looks on each unique person with such love, and I find it so joyous to be a part of this event in both of your lives, both your wedding and the adoption of your son.”</p>
<p>Dio heard a rustle from the pew that he could only assume was Giorno wiggling excitedly at his mention. He smiled, but didn’t look over for fear of missing any of this. Thankfully, Kakyoin had a video camera so that Dio could watch this moment over an over again and see every detail he may forget. </p>
<p>The priest continued talking to the small group about love and commitment, and how God didn’t see gender, and then some Bible verses that Dio didn’t pay much attention to. He was too excited about this, and he couldn’t stop stealing glances at Dean. He looked just as nervous now as Dio did as the priest’s speech dragged on. The two shifted their weight around together as they waited. </p>
<p>Finally the speech came to an end. “And now, without further ado, let us join you officially in the eyes of God as a couple. Legally by the country of Italy you are already joined, and now it’s time to allow for our Lord to see this union. Dio, if you would like to begin with your vows?” The priest finished, gesturing toward the vampire.</p>
<p>Dio sighed and pulled a piece of paper out of his dress. “Dean, I have no words to say how grateful I am for everything you’ve done for me over these past years. You’ve supported me through every victory and every nightmare. It feels like only months since we met, and yet I feel as though I’ve known you for decades. I swear, vow even, to stay by your side for eternity, and return all that you’ve done for me tenfold.”</p>
<p>“And now Dean?” The priest said, turning toward Dio’s almost husband. Dean nodded and pulled out his own slip of paper.</p>
<p>“I uh, I’m not any good at speeches. I have to try though, so uh, it’s kinda bad,” He said, laughing nervously.</p>
<p>“I’m certain your speech will be wonderful, especially since it’s from your heart,” the priest told  him, smiling. </p>
<p>Dean nodded and took a deep breath. “Dio, I told you in Egypt that I would do better. I’m saying here, now, in the eyes of this man of God and maybe God himself that I will stick to that promise. I’ll help you however I can. Hell,” He paused, looking up at Dio. “After what you just said, I gotta repay that. I uh, we’re a team, and I won’t leave you behind.”</p>
<p>A flush ran through Dio. That was an official promise from Dean. Excitement lit up his nerves and made him feel warm. He could hear Dean’s heart beating fast, pushing his blood up to his face, which was redder than Dio had ever seen it. The human was smiling too; it was cute to behold. </p>
<p>Dio glanced into the crowd. Kakyoin still had the camera trained on them. Dio could see him smiling excitedly behind it. Giorno sat next to him in his little suit with his hands under his legs. He was obviously doing his very best to sit still. A figure farther into the pews caught Dio’s eye. A young man, probably in his mid twenties, sat with one arm over the back of the pew. He smiled at Dio as the vampire’s eyes passed over him. Dio hadn’t heard him enter at all. Who was this? He looked too young to be Sam.</p>
<p>“And now, gentlemen, the rings.”</p>
<p>Dio’s attention drew back to the marriage in front of him. Dean turned toward the pedestal in front of the priest, taking Dio’s ring from it, and holding out his hands. Dio offered his own left hand, and Dean took it. He slid the gold band onto Dio’s finger with the words “I give this ring to you as a sign of my promise.”</p>
<p>Dio, in turn, picked up Dean’s ring and repeated the ritual, word for word. They smiled at each other, sharing the moment between themselves. Affection swelled in Dio’s chest, and for once he let it happen. He was marrying his best friend and it was almost official. </p>
<p>“One last thing before we truly seal the deal,” the priest said. “On this day, instead of signing your marriage license, which you have already completed, you will be signing for the adoption of your son, Giorno.”</p>
<p>With that, the priest moved the pillow that bore the rings, revealing a piece of paper underneath it. He handed the men their pens. Dean moved first, signing his legal name, and then moved back for Dio to do the same. Dio signed the paper, which already bore Giorno’s signature and that of the government officer who was completing their adoption. As Dio stepped back to stand in front of Dean again, the priest took his own pen and signed as their witness. </p>
<p>The priest finished signing and straightened up, smiling serenely at the men. “And now, before God and the small congregation gathered here today, and by the power vested in me by the country of Italy and the Lord, God our Father, I pronounce you man and husband. You may kiss the groom.”</p>
<p>Dio leaned in, unsure of himself. Dean didn’t hesitate at all. His hands found their way into Dio’s hair and pulled his head toward him. Their lips met and Dio’s eyes closed tight. He had read up on what kissing was like to prepare for this moment but nothing could have made him ready for this. Every thought left his brain, all he could feel was Dean on him. The man pulled back all too quickly, though Dio hoped they could do this again, privately. </p>
<p>Three sets of applause filled the chapel and Dio opened his eyes turned toward the pews to see Kakyoin and Giorno standing, clapping for them. The stranger was standing as well, smiling and applauding. His face shone a bit with wet. He was crying. He must be some friend of Dean’s. Dio turned his head back toward Dean to find his husband looking at him. There was such a tenderness on his face that Dio had never seen before. They smiled at each other before linking arms and walking down the aisle. The stranger was already gone, though Dio hadn’t heard the door open. </p>
<p>As they got outside, the doors opened and Kakyoin and Giorno burst out. Giorno ran up to his parents, wrapping Dean’s legs in a tight hug. Dean returned it, saying something unintelligible to Giorno. Dio watched the two interact for a few moments before Dean straightened up and pulled his keys out of his pocket. </p>
<p>“Shall we?” He asked simply. Dio nodded. </p>
<p>The group headed for the car. Dio thanked god again that they hadn’t had to hire transportation. Dean’s car was spacious enough for all four of them. They piled in and Dean started the engine, heading for home. </p>
<p>“I grabbed the adoption paper for you, by the way,” Kakyoin said into the quiet of the car. </p>
<p>Dean glanced into the rear-view mirror. “Thanks, man. I totally forgot to get that,” he said, laughing. The sun illuminated his face, making him look as though he was glowing. </p>
<p>“I’m dropping you and Dio off at home, I gotta take Giorno to take care of some things,” Dean continued, now looking at the road. “First of which, we’re making Giorno official.”</p>
<p>Dio smiled to himself. Jonathan hadn’t worked out, but for once, something had. He had a family, a husband and son. Something deep inside him stirred, filling him with warmth and happiness. He had wanted this for a long time, hadn’t he? He would ask Dean if he felt the same later. </p>
<p>The car pulled up to the driveway after a short silence between the group. Dio got out, Kakyoin following. A key was tossed his way and when he reached the front door he realized it was the house key. His had been left at home, since his dress didn’t have pockets. Dean always thought of everything. </p>
<p>The house was dark and quiet as they entered. Dio flicked on some lights and motioned for Kakyoin to sit on the living room couch. The young man obliged, making himself comfortable. </p>
<p>“I’m going to go change,” Dio told him. “I have a second dress that I picked out.”</p>
<p>“Sure, I’ll be here admiring your house,” Kakyoin replied, smiling. </p>
<p>Dio turned and headed for the stairs that lead to the upper floor. His, Dean’s, and Giorno’s bedrooms were up there. In his room, he stripped off the white dress, hanging it on the clothes hanger it had been on that morning. He pulled a gold dress out of the closet, slipping it on. It fit him like a glove, coming down to his mid thigh. The tailor who had altered his dresses had told him that it went well with his hair. </p>
<p>Next, he slipped off his white heels and put on the matching golden flats that came with the dress. A black cropped jacket went over the whole ensemble, completing the look. He admired himself in a floor length mirror that hung on the closet door. He looked absolutely stunning. </p>
<p>Back downstairs, Kakyoin had left the couch and found his way to the kitchen, where he was raiding the fridge. Dio had stored the reception snacks there, which Kakyoin was now staring at. </p>
<p>“You can take those out, I’m probably just as hungry as you are,” He said, startling the young man. </p>
<p>“Ah, sorry, I just realized I forgot breakfast,” Kakyoin replied, his face turning pink. </p>
<p>“It’s fine Kakyoin, I did too,” Dio said with a smirk. He reached past his friend and pulled out the bowls of food and setting them on the counter. </p>
<p>He found a few plates and the two loaded them up with food. Most of it was meats and cheeses that Dio had found at the local grocery store. He and Dean had no idea what people normally served at wedding receptions, so they had been left to guess. He had gone to the effort to make sandwiches for everyone. There was an extra one set aside in case Sam showed up, but that would probably be eaten by someone else. </p>
<p>Once they were done gathering their lunch, both headed back to the couch to wait for Dean. Comfortable silence filled the space between them as they ate their sandwiches. For once Dio felt content. He sat here, in his own home, with his first friend, waiting for his new husband to return with their son. He no longer counted Dean as a friend in his mind. Even if the union was strictly platonic, they were closer now than ever. He was grateful for it. He wondered if Kakyoin and Jotaro had met back up as well. </p>
<p>“So, how are things in Japan?” He asked aloud. </p>
<p>Kakyoin swallowed the bite he was working on. “Good! Jotaro is getting ready for college, so we’ll be going to America probably next year. He wants to do marine biology, the nerd. But right now we’re just taking care of our son.”</p>
<p>“You… you have a son? We haven’t been apart that long have we?” Dio asked, shocked. </p>
<p>“Oh, no, Jotaro and I were already fooling around when we were, well, on our way to kill you,” Kakyoin told him. “He told me we should have been more careful, and that I got him pregnant before I died.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Dio replied, at a complete loss for words. That was horrible. If the timeline of events before his death was correct in his mind, that would mean that Jotaro was already pregnant when they were fighting. When Jotaro killed him. Dawning horror clouded his mind and made his cold body feel even colder. </p>
<p>“It’s alright Dio. Nobody knew until he was home,” Kakyoin said, his voice soft. “And besides, I have a cute kid out of the deal. I’m not complaining.”</p>
<p>Dio nodded. “What’s his name?” he asked. </p>
<p>“Jouta,” Kakyoin replied, retrieving his wallet from his pocket. He pulled a picture out and handed it to Dio. </p>
<p>Three people stood in front of a large tree in what looked like somebody’s courtyard. Dio recognized Kakyoin, standing next to a much larger man in a hat and jacket. He assumed that was Jotaro. He looked like he would rather be anywhere else than having his picture taken, considering the shadow over his bright blue eyes. His smile, however, looked pleasant enough. A young child stood in front of the two adults. Unlike Jotaro, he looked excited, smiling widely. A large hat similar to his father’s covered his dark hair, and green eyes shone out from under the brim. He was wearing what looked like a school uniform.</p>
<p>“That’s us before sending Jouta to a preschool. He’s almost three, and Jotaro needed to finish high school. He insisted that Jouta go to a preschool instead of Jotaro’s mom taking care of him,” Kakyoin told Dio as he handed the picture back.</p>
<p>“He’s cute,” Dio remarked. </p>
<p>“Thank you. I’m pretty proud of him,” Kakyoin said. He grinned, beaming at the compliment. </p>
<p>Suddenly, the door opened and Dean strode in, carrying grocery bags. He set them down, turning to shut the front door behind Giorno. The boy ran up to his father with a bag of his own, shoving it onto his lap.</p>
<p>“What’s this?” Dio asked the boy.</p>
<p>“Candy!” Giorno replied, nearly bouncing with excitement. “Dad took me to the store and said I could buy us anything I wanted! It’s your present!”</p>
<p>Dio laughed. “It’s perfect Giorno. I suppose I have to share with you?” He asked.</p>
<p>“Dad said its a present for all of us!” Giorno said giggling, before reaching into the bag and pulling out a chocolate.</p>
<p>“Hey, hey,” Dean interrupted. “You better eat your lunch first kiddo,” he told Giorno. The boy looked dejected before shoving the candy into his pocket and running for the kitchen. </p>
<p>Dio looked over at Dean, who still stood near the door. He bent over and picked up one of the bags. He pulled out a small package and a piece of paper before shoving everything else over with his foot and putting the bag down on a coffee table. Walking over to the couch, he handed Dio the package and took the bag of candy, disappearing into the room they had designated as an office. </p>
<p>“Giorno, can you move the cake to the table?” Dean called from the other room. Kakyoin and Dio watched as the small boy ran into the room and very carefully picked up one of the plastic bags, holding it by the handles and walking it slowly into the other room. The two adults laughed quietly as soon as he was out of eyesight. </p>
<p>Dean reappeared and sat down next to Dio. “So. Gifts come next, yeah?” he asked.</p>
<p>“I suppose so,” Kakyoin said, still laughing. “I guess I’ll give you mine, since I’m the only guest that isn’t related to you.”</p>
<p>With that, the young man handed Dio and Dean each a package that he retrieved from Hierophant Green. Dio tore into the pastel green paper, revealing a plastic package. He looked it over, confused. It seemed to be some kind of electronic device, but all of the text was Japanese, so Dio couldn’t read it.</p>
<p>“It’s a sound activated keychain,” Kakyoin explained as Dio tried to read the words on the cardboard inside, turning it over in his hands. “You whistle and it will beep, revealing where your keys are. Dean and I kind of collaborated on it.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Dean agreed. “I sorta gave him the idea, he went and found it.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, this will be particularly useful,” Dio said. He picked up the small package Dean had given him a moment ago. </p>
<p>Opening it, he found the wallet that Dean had let him use the day he found Giorno. Attached to a ring in the corner of the leather was a keychain with Dio’s house key on it. Hierophant picked the noise keychain off of Dio’s lap and opened it for him, helping him clasp it onto the key while Dio opened the wallet itself. Inside was a small wad of cash and an ID card. His ID card. His driver’s license with his smiling picture on it sat in its little window. Dio looked up to thank Dean and found him staring at him, eyebrows knit in confusion. Dio glanced at Kakyoin to find him shrugging. </p>
<p>“Uhhh, what the hell,” Dean finally said. “Are we haunted?”</p>
<p>“Oh!” Kakyoin exclaimed. “Oh, no that was my Stand! My apologies Winchester-san, I forgot you can’t see him.”</p>
<p>“Oh my god,” Dean muttered, sighing with relief. He turned his attention to the box in his lap, turning it around in his hands. “What’s this?” he asked.</p>
<p>“I thought I’d get you a little something too,” the redhead replied. “I know you said not to, but it just screamed your name, you know?”</p>
<p>Dean nodded, pulling the top off of the box. Inside was the most beautiful knife Dio had ever seen. Dean gasped, picking the blade up carefully, touching its black, woven grip gently. He examined the knife, holding it every which way, a smile growing on his face as the seconds passed. </p>
<p>“Kakyoin, this is beautiful!” He said, setting the blade down back in its box. “How did you get it on a plane?”</p>
<p>“Oh, I didn’t. I got up early and bought it here, before the wedding,” Kakyoin replied, smirking. His scarred eyes glittered mischievously. </p>
<p>“Damn…” Dean whispered reverently as he closed the box again. </p>
<p>Giorno entered the room again, carrying a tray he had found somewhere. On it were four pieces of chocolate cake and two plates of food that he must have gotten for himself and Dean. He proudly set the plate down on a table that sat in the middle of the room, turning to look at his parents. His eyes were wide and hopeful, and he smiled sheepishly, holding his hands behind his back.</p>
<p>“Good job kiddo!” Dean said, clapping his hands together once. “Nobody even had to ask. Good work.”</p>
<p>Giorno beamed at his father before taking his plate, and sitting down on the floor. Dio, who had already finished eating before Dean had come back, took a piece of cake, as did Kakyoin. Dean stood up, walking over to a radio that he had set up on the mantle, turning the machine on and plugging in a tape. Rock music began playing through the speakers, covering the sound of eating. He then took the second plate of food, eating quickly and then demolishing his piece of cake. </p>
<p>As they finished eating, Dean stood up and stretched. As he relaxed, he motioned for Dio to follow him. Dio obliged and found himself being led into the office, where Dean leaned against the desk, looking down at the dark carpet on the floor. </p>
<p>The human signed and rubbed his face with his hands. “He didn’t show up,” he said, simply. Sadness laced his voice. </p>
<p>Dio nodded. “I know. I’m sorry Dean.”</p>
<p>“It’s not your fault my own brother couldn’t be assed to show up to my god damn wedding,” Dean replied, bitterness covering the sadness.</p>
<p>“I have a feeling it’s not that he didn’t want to,” Dio told his husband. “From what you’ve told me about him, I don’t think he would miss this if he knew. And I don’t think he did. The mail might not have gotten to him. It was an overseas shipment. We don’t know.” </p>
<p>Dean nodded slowly. “Yeah, I guess. I don’t know I guess it just hurts. I miss him. I don’t even know where he is…” he trailed off. </p>
<p>“I know. I’m sure he’ll turn up soon. Though, I did see somebody else in the chapel,” Dio said, remembering the young man from before. </p>
<p>“Wait, you did? What did he look like?” Dean asked, looking up, hopeful.</p>
<p>“Young, probably about as old as I look,” Dio described. “Brown hair, dark eyes, dressed honestly a lot like you.”</p>
<p>Dean’s face lit up. “Jack! I didn’t even see him I was so focused on you!” He exclaimed. </p>
<p>“Jack? Is he a friend of yours?” Dio asked. </p>
<p>“Yeah, you could say that. If we’re being technical here, he’s my son, and also God,” Dean explained.</p>
<p>Dio stood there silent a moment, shocked and confused. “God? What do you mean God? As in, the being that the priest was swearing to? The God?” He asked, trying to comprehend that. It probably explained why he had appeared and disappeared without a trace.</p>
<p>“Yes! God!” Dean said, laughing now.</p>
<p>“God’s name is Jack?” Dio asked. It was such a strange thing, the thought of such a powerful being having a seemingly normal name. It felt… quaint almost.</p>
<p>“It’s uh… a long story that I’ll tell you later. It used to be Chuck and then he died,” Dean told him simply. That only left Dio with more questions that he decided to ask whenever Dean decided to explain it to him. </p>
<p>Dio looked away, staring at nothing in particular. “Well, I suppose it’s good that someone came to see you, right? I still feel bad that Sam couldn’t,” he said.</p>
<p>“I am glad Jack came. I get him not staying. He’s gotta be busy being God,” Dean replied, sighing. “Sam will show up. Eventually. We always find each other.”</p>
<p>He sounded so certain that Dio couldn’t find it within himself to doubt his husband as he followed him out of the office. Kakyoin was now sitting on the floor with Giorno, patiently watching the boy explain his coloring. They were so absorbed that they didn’t notice the couple until they sat down on the couch again.</p>
<p>“You alright?” Kakyoin asked, looking up.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I just needed to complain about my idiot brother,” Dean replied. </p>
<p>“Ah,” Kakyoin said, looking back down at Giorno. </p>
<p>Dio watched his friend, who still sat on the floor, watching Giorno color. Every color had a purpose that Giorno very seriously explained to his audience. The dog had to be purple, it was a matter of utmost importance. Yes, the sun was green. The scene was so cute, and Dio felt pride well up in him once again. </p>
<p>Slowly, testing the waters, he leaned over, resting his weight against Dean. The human let it happen, shifting so they were both comfortable. His arm wrapped around Dio’s shoulders, pulling him in and holding him there. Safe, here in Dean’s arms.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>A knock on Dio’s door woke him from near sleep. He had been so close to the edge, dammit. He mumbled something even he couldn’t interpret in the general direction of the knock. The door opened, revealing two shapes, one large, one small. </p>
<p>Dean led Giorno into the room, encouraging him up to the bed as Dio rolled to face them. Giorno stood, sheepish, in front of him. Dio reached out, stroking the boy’s hair. He leaned into the touch. Dio could feel him shaking, pressing himself as close to his father as he could.</p>
<p>“What is it?” He asked quietly. His voice slurred a bit with sleep.</p>
<p>“Um…” Giorno started, shifting nervously.</p>
<p>“You can tell him kid,” Dean encouraged. Dio glanced up but Dean’s face was obscured by the dark of the room.</p>
<p>“I had a bad dream. And I wanna sleep with you and Dad,” Giorno whispered. Dio wouldn’t have heard him if the room hadn’t been silent. </p>
<p>Ah, that was the problem. “Of course, I’m happy to oblige. Come on,” He gestured for his son to climb up with him before continuing. “You can sleep right between us.”</p>
<p>Giorno obeyed, crawling across him and settling down in the middle of the bed. Dean followed his lead on the opposite side of the bed, climbing in on Giorno’s other side. The three settled down again together. Dio slung his arm over his son, wrapping him up tight and holding him there. Dean’s arm ended up on Dio’s, his hand on the vampire’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“You’re married,” Giorno mumbled. “Why don’t you sleep with each other?”</p>
<p>Dio thought for a moment. Why not? That’s a married couple thing, and he had no problem sleeping with Dean in the past, when they stayed in the hotels. It only made sense, even to their young son.</p>
<p>“You know what, you’re right. We ought to do the married thing and sleep together,” Dean answered before Dio could.</p>
<p>Instead the vampire nodded, his chin brushing against Giorno’s hair. “He’s right. We’ll do family things like sleep in bed together and um. Other family things.”</p>
<p>He was too sleepy to make sense anymore. Giorno didn’t seem to care. Their little pile was so comfortable that Dio could already feel himself falling asleep. He was safe here with Dean and Giorno, even if he had a nightmare himself. This was his first night with his new family, in his new home. It was perfect.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading! Can you tell I haven't been to a wedding in several years? Honestly I just decided to have fun with it haha. Hope you enjoy!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Where In the World Is Dean Winchester? Part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sam has found Dean's house in Egypt, but no trace of his lost older brother. Unless...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Empty. The whole place was empty. Of course, there were signs of a car in the garage, but no way to prove whose it was. Dean was definitely one to cover his tracks, he was always so careful on the road. This was just ridiculous. The house had obviously only been abandoned for a few months at most, given the state of the structure itself. Sam had to wonder how long his brother had even been here.</p>
<p>Just his luck that he was too late to catch up. He stood in the empty front room, staring around at the nothing surrounding him. There were signs of a computer having been set up in one corner, though Dean would never leave something like that behind. The cabinets sat open, all empty. Not even mouse droppings remained, leading Sam to believe it had definitely been at least a month since anybody had been here. He had checked as many surfaces as he could for fingerprints, but they had all been wiped clean.</p>
<p>Sam had come here on a half baked lead from a stranger in England. He had decided to hole up there for a while, hunting in his downtime. Monsters and creatures in Europe were mostly the same as in the Americas, save for the stark lack of vampires. He and Dean had wiped out plenty of nests in their day, no doubt about that. America seemed chock full of vampires ripe for the hunting. Across the world, however, there were hardly any signs. Not that he minded, really. There were other things he could do.</p>
<p>A woman Sam worked with in England told him about a man who looked a whole lot like him. From her vague description, it was probably Dean. He had apparently come across a couple of friends, namely a large blonde man, and a Japanese teenager. Probably a couple of random people he had run across on a hunt. Knowing Dean, they would be left behind somewhere. The English woman worked as a hotel receptionist, and told Sam that Dean said he was headed for Cairo.</p>
<p>So here Sam was, in the middle of an empty house, looking around at the emptiness. He felt small, all alone here. Just a man in a tiny house in the middle of a huge desert with a huge city right off in the distance. Sam paced into the back room of the house. He had already checked over everything here. Double checking couldn’t hurt. There were a few dead plants, which was definitely unusual, but nothing else of interest. </p>
<p>Sam paced back into the front room and took one last glance over everything. Cabinets still empty? Yes. Tables still wiped off? Check. Floor swept clean? Definitely. Dean had absolutely been here and he had absolutely left nothing behind, as per usual. Once again it felt just like when they had been chasing their father all those years ago. Sam had no way of knowing where Dean went next. Nobody in Cairo proper even knew.</p>
<p>Wait. What was that, tucked under the couch. Sam stepped forward and leaned down, investigating. A black shirt had fallen down and gotten shoved into the space underneath the couch, forgotten. Sam pulled it out and turned it around until it was upright and facing him. He gasped. </p>
<p>The Led Zeppelin logo was still faded like Sam remembered. This was Dean’s favorite shirt. Somehow it must have fallen out of his bag. Dean would be sad without this. Without thinking, Sam held the fabric up to his face, inhaling. A faint scent of aftershave and beer filled his nose. It even still smelled like Dean. Sam folded the shirt carefully, tucking it under his arm. He would keep this safe for when he finally found his brother.</p>
<p>That was it though. The only clue to Dean’s whereabouts was tucked under Sam’s arm with no indication as to where the shirt was supposed to be now. It stung a little bit, but Sam pushed it down. Whatever had lead to Dean leaving Egypt must have been important, and he wouldn’t be leaving any traces of why for any random person to happen across. </p>
<p>Sam decided that he would head back to the states. Dean may be wanted in almost every single one but he wasn’t and he could find a base of operations somewhere again. Maybe he would buy a car and get on the road again, hunting all over the country. That sounded like a good idea actually. If he was being so nostalgic he might as well embrace it right? </p>
<p>With a nod to himself, Sam walked out the front door of the small house and began the walk back to his hotel room in Cairo. At least it wasn’t too far, but without a car it would be at least an hour. Plenty of time to plan where he would head in the U.S. Maybe Florida? Starting at one end of the country and heading West was definitely an easy plan, at least for now. </p>
<p>The hotel room was warm when Sam finally got back. He probably should have left the air conditioning on. Whatever. Sitting down at a small table, Sam pulled his laptop out of his bag. He booked a plane ticket for Naples, Florida, two days in advance. That would give him ample time to pack up his things and possibly buy some supplies while he was still here. </p>
<p>Sitting back, Sam ran his hands through his hair. Why couldn’t this be easier? If only he had- no, shut up. He wasn’t about to go there right now. Dean hadn’t exactly left him behind, but he hadn’t exactly tried very hard to stop him. There was no point thinking about that, or what he could have even done. For a moment, Sam thought about praying, but decided against it. Jack was far too busy with heaven to be bothered with that, and praying to Cas was useless. </p>
<p>It didn’t matter, really. Eventually, he would find Dean. Eventually his brother would trip up and leave something more behind. Or make the news. They were good at that. Sam would find his brother, he was sure of it. And when he did, he had no idea what he would do, but it might involve violence. Or a hug. Or both. Sam had a long while to decide.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading! Sorry this one is so short, I didn't really know how to describe nothing for many more words. Also sorry it took so long to get this out, Chapter 9 took a while due to life stuff, and my computer being a brat. Anyway, this is technically the last chapter before what I'm going to call the gigapause. You'll see ;) See you next chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Dean's Last Hunt</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dean notices a bruise on Giorno's arm that leads to one final hunt to save his new son.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I glance in my rear-view mirror at my son, Giorno. He’s sitting nicely in his car seat, messing with a piece of paper. Normally I would let the kid sit up here with me. But I gotta follow the law. Ugh. It’s fine, it’s fine, I do it for Dio. </p>
<p>Speaking of him, he’s probably at home right now, doing god knows what. Sometimes I wonder what he gets up to when I’m at work but I never think to ask. I hope he finds something to entertain himself. It must suck to be bored. At least I found a job, working at a mechanic shop. I get off right in time to pick Giorno up from school. Nice how things work out like that. </p>
<p>We pull up to a stoplight and I take another look at Giorno. He’s holding the paper up to his face now, turning it all around in his hands. There, on his arm, what’s that? Is that a bruise? Where would he get a bruise like that? It looks big, too big to be from him falling or anything. </p>
<p>No, no, it’s nothing, I tell myself. Little kids get bruises all the time. But when I look again, he has his arms down and I notice something worse. There’s a bruise on his face, marking his cheek. Oh god. Did he get in a fight? He’s only 6, and he’s not mine, it’s not like he would take after me. </p>
<p>“Hey, you get in a fight at school?” I ask as I start driving again. </p>
<p>I see Giorno look up out of the corner of my eye. “No.”</p>
<p>“You’ve got bruises, what happened?” I ask him. I’m starting to get worried now.</p>
<p>“You won’t believe me,” He says. Uh oh. </p>
<p>“What?” </p>
<p>“Papa said I was imagining it. He doesn’t believe me,” Giorno tells me. Fuck. That doesn’t sound good. </p>
<p>“I’ll believe you, I promise,” I reply. I always believe kids. They see things we don’t.</p>
<p>He sits in his car seat for a few minutes, holding the paper in his lap. We pull up into the driveway of our house, and I get out. I don’t go to his side to get him out though. I get in on the driver’s side. Next to him. We sit there together for a while, waiting for him to talk. </p>
<p>“You promise you believe me?” he asks. I nod. </p>
<p>“There’s something in my closet.”</p>
<p>Fuck. Shit. Fuck fuck fuck. No, not him. Not Giorno. I didn’t want him to get involved in any of this, especially not ghosts, or worse. Of course, I’ve taken precautions to make our house as safe as I can without going full salt on the entrances. Was that not enough? It has to be, right? I’ve left all of that behind. </p>
<p>I realize I haven’t responded to Giorno yet. “What’s in there?” I question. </p>
<p>“I think… it looks like my old step-father. But Papa said he left…” Giorno tells me. “Did he come back?”</p>
<p>I’m going to need to investigate this. I don’t have a choice. What do I tell him? “I don’t know. But I’ll take a look, ok? What does the thing in your closet do?”</p>
<p>“He hits me like he used to,” Giorno says. That’s worse. Not only was the guy’s death violent and traumatic, he had unfinished business here on Earth. Abusing his step-son. </p>
<p>“I’ll help you take care of it,” I say. </p>
<p>I get out of the car head to the other side to unbuckle my son. As I open the door he looks up at me with his big sea green eyes. God he’s so cute. I lean over to undo his seat belt and I decide on a whim to kiss his forehead. It’s pleasantly warm and his dark hair tickles my nose. He giggles. Good. I need him to be happy, it’s what he deserves. </p>
<p>Inside the house, Dio is nowhere to be found. I grab Giorno a snack and send him off to do his homework. I’ll check in with him before dinner. Outside, I find Dio messing around with the dirt. An unopened bag of grass seed sits next to the back door. I can’t tell if he was planning on planting it by hand or something. </p>
<p>“Hey,” I call. Dio looks up, the sunhat that he’s wearing flopping a little bit. “How long you been out here?”</p>
<p>“A few hours,” he says.</p>
<p>I put my hands in my pockets and lean against the wall. “Having fun?” I ask.</p>
<p>“Yes, actually. It’s a nice day.”</p>
<p>“Yeah it is.”</p>
<p>We stand there for a while longer, silent. Never mind. He’s in a good mood and I ain’t about to ruin that. I head back inside, leaving him to his gardening. I have something important to do. Giorno is sitting at the table with his tongue sticking out, writing something down. Good, he’s distracted too. </p>
<p>Upstairs I dig through my closet for my stash. I kept some things from my past, just in case something like this happened. I’m planning on asking Dio to move but hell, I’d hate for some poor sap to get stuck with a ghost. I’ll deal with it while I’m still here. I’ll get Giorno out of this traumatic house after. </p>
<p>I find an EMF reader and head for my son’s room. Inside, nothing seems out of order. I start checking everything over. Nothing seems too bad until I get to the closet. Of course, it’s so damn cliché. There’s definitely activity in here. Ok, what to do now? Did something get left behind? I still need to make sure that it’s definitely Giorno’s step-father though, and I’m going to have to see it before I can do anything else.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>Dinner is done but Dio and I haven’t left the table yet. Giorno is already upstairs doing who knows what. Hopefully nothing will happen while I’m down here. I need to be there for him. Whatever the hell is going on, I’m damn well gonna solve it. That’s what I do.</p>
<p>“Dean?” Dio says, catching my attention.</p>
<p>“Yeah? What’s up?” I reply. </p>
<p>“I was thinking, maybe we should move houses. I like this one and such but… I don’t know, maybe we need something smaller. I feel small when I’m here by myself,” he tells me.</p>
<p>“Too much house, not enough Dio. I see what you’re saying,” I say. “Honestly I was thinking the same thing. This place is huge, way more than what we need. It’s only us and Giorno.”</p>
<p>Dio nods. “Speaking of him actually, I think maybe this house is… well, I’m not sure how to say it,” he says.</p>
<p>“He had a lot of shitty experiences here. It’s trauma or something like that. It would definitely be good for him to get the hell out of here,” I finish for him.</p>
<p>“Yes, I think he’s hallucinating,” Dio says. Oh fuck of course he brought that up. “I’m sure it’s just his imagination and fear.”</p>
<p>I have to tread carefully. I don’t know how well he’s going to take to the idea of a ghost in here. Sure, he believes and he’s listened to me talk. I’m just not really sure how he’ll think of it when it’s affecting him personally. Do I just tell him? Do I agree with him? </p>
<p>“Yeah, maybe. Kids see more than adults. You never know,” I say. I figure that’s playing it safe. </p>
<p>I end up being right. “That’s true. I don’t know. I guess if we move it’ll be over. I’ve found a cute little house for sale that I want to look at. It’s not tiny, so maybe it’s perfect for us,” Dio tells me. </p>
<p>I nod. At least he didn’t seem freaked by the possibility of something in our house. I’ll go look at the house with him on Saturday, when I’m not working. I need to focus on right now anyway. I have a gun hidden in the hall loaded with salt rounds. There’s salt in my bedroom that I can use to protect Giorno with once I figure this all out. </p>
<p>“Yeah, let’s check it out this weekend,” I finally say. He hums and stands up.</p>
<p>“I’m going to get ready for bed. Come join when you’re ready?” He asks.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” I tell him. I’ll join him… eventually. </p>
<p>Once I’m sure Dio is in our room I head upstairs. There, I find Giorno ready for bed. He’s sitting in the middle of the mattress in a fetal position with his knees against his chin. He must be waiting for one of us to put him to bed like we always do. It’s no bedtime stories or singing but I make sure one of us gives him a kiss on the head and a nice good night. Not tonight though. I’ll do that later. Probably. Right now I need to get my shit together. </p>
<p>I grab the shotgun and walk into his room. He’s immediately alert, staring at me wide-eyed. Of course he is, I’ve never let him be this close to a gun. I’m saving that for when he’s older. Obviously I taught him safety, namely don’t fucking touch it. But he needs to know what I’m gonna do tonight and that includes exactly what’s going to happen with this gun. I didn’t want to ever have to give him instructions like this, it pisses me off.</p>
<p>I approach the bed slowly, with the gun pointed away from him. I show it to him, holding it close to myself. He still stares at me. I can’t tell if he’s scared or interested. I don’t know. I have to hope it’s interest. </p>
<p>“Alright kiddo, here’s the deal. I’m gonna be sitting right outside your door with this gun. It’s loaded with hardened rock salt. You know why?” I say to him. He shakes his head. </p>
<p>“Salt gets rid of ghosts. I’m gonna shoot it and it’ll go away, at least for a while,” I continue. </p>
<p>“What about me? What if he’s on me and you shoot me?” He asks. Dammit, he is scared. </p>
<p>“That won’t ever happen, I’m a real good shot. Plus, you’re gonna get on the ground. When he comes out and starts coming after you, you call for me, ok?” I say. He nods. </p>
<p>“And I’m gonna kick that door open and yell for you to get down. You get on this side of the bed”- I motion to the side furthest from the door.- “and you cover your ears real good. The gun is gonna be loud. Think you can do that?”</p>
<p>Giorno nods. “Yes, Daddy. I’ll get down an’ cover my ears when you come in an’ yell.” He repeats. </p>
<p>I nod back. “Exactly. I’m gonna make this all ok.” I tell him. </p>
<p>I give him a kiss on the head and leave the room. His door is cracked so I can hear in, and so I don’t bust the handle when I kick it. I don’t wanna have to fix that before we move out. I sit down, my gun next to me and I wait. I’m good at this. I can hear Giorno singing to himself in Italian on the other side of the door. We speak three languages in the house, Italian, Japanese, and English, but mostly English. Giorno told us his mother was Japanese and that he can speak it. Thank god I can too. Dio is trying to learn but he isn’t great. He sticks to English and Italian for the most part. </p>
<p>I have no idea how long I’ve been waiting. The other side of the door is quiet now. When did he stop singing? I have no idea. I strain my ears against the door but I don’t hear anything. Is he ok? Should I check? </p>
<p>Before I can decide I hear Giorno say “Daddy help.” My brain kicks into hunting mode. I kick the door open with a bang against the wall. The ghost is near Giorno, at the foot of the bed. Giorno is huddled down on his blanket, tucked up into himself. From the pictures I’ve seen, this guy is definitely Giorno’s dead step-father. He looks at me and I get my chance. I yell for Giorno to get down. He obeys immediately, jumping off of his bed and out of my sight. I take aim and fire quickly. Boom. He’s gone. For now at least. </p>
<p>I run into the room. I don’t have much time to grab him and protect him. He’s huddled on the floor with his ears covered, just like I told him. He has his eyes closed and he’s shaking violently. He’s terrified. It’s fine though, it’ll all be over soon and he’s been such a trooper so far. He ain’t even mine and he takes after me. </p>
<p>I kneel in front of him, not touching him yet. “Hey, hey Giorno. Kiddo it’s me, it’s Daddy,” I say, loud enough for him to hear me through his little fingers. </p>
<p>He looks up at me, eyes wide. I’m impressed he isn’t crying yet. He uncurls himself enough to reach out for me. I let him come into my arms and I pick him up. He’s not very heavy for his age. He clings to me, still shaking. I gotta get him safe. I start saying whatever comes into my head to get him calm and turn around. Fuck.</p>
<p>Dio is in the doorway. He looks like he’s about to cry. I’ll deal with him in a minute, I need to get Giorno safe. I grabbed the gun as I stood up; I keep it pointed down and away from anyone. I don’t need Dio thinking I’m about to shoot him too, not that it would actually do anything to him. It’s the idea of it. </p>
<p>I push past him with Giorno, rushing the kid into our room. Setting him down on the bed, I go for the drawer where I hid the salt earlier. Dio didn’t understand why I bought so much. Maybe he will now. I’m not as paranoid as I thought I was. I’ll probably get our new house blessed and cleansed and all that. I don’t want to repeat this. </p>
<p>“Do you know what I’m doing?” I ask Giorno. </p>
<p>“Making a mess?” He asks quietly. </p>
<p>“Kinda,” I say, chuckling. “I’m putting down a salt line. Know what that does?”</p>
<p>I stand up from my work in time to see him shake his head. The door is salted but just to be safe I’m getting everything. </p>
<p>“Ghosts can’t pass over salt. That’s why people use circles to keep stuff out. So while I’m getting ready to put him to rest, you’ll be safe,” I tell him. </p>
<p>“He’s still gonna try to hurt me?” Giorno asks as I salt the windows. </p>
<p>“Yeah. He’s restless and he’s gonna be mad that I’m trying to get rid of him. But Dio is gonna keep you safe while I’m working,” I tell him. I hope that calms his fear. </p>
<p>I turn around and Dio is in the doorway. I need to talk to him. Carefully, over the line of salt. I shut the door and turn toward him. Before he can say anything I damn near pin him to the wall. He’s breathing hard, staring at me. I still wonder why he even needs to breathe if he’s undead. Whatever, I don’t need to be thinking about dumb shit. I’m on a job.</p>
<p>“Listen, Dio. It’s not your fault, this shit happens all the time,” I tell him. He doesn’t look comforted. </p>
<p>“I know, you’ve told me about it. But why him? If anything it should be going after me,” he says. </p>
<p>“That would make sense, but I’ve got an idea of why he’s after Giorno,” I say, letting him go from the wall. “He abused the kid right? Beat him?”</p>
<p>Dio nods, so I continue. “That’s it then. It’s his ‘unfinished business’. Abusing his step-son. But that isn’t as important, I need to know if you left any remains. Bones, hair, blood, anything.”</p>
<p>He looks surprised at me. “Well, yes, I can’t absorb the bones or hair. It doesn’t give me any nutrients so I just… don’t.” he explains. </p>
<p>“And you buried them?”</p>
<p>He nods. “Yes. But… you’re going to be angry.”</p>
<p>God fucking dammit. “You forgot where.” I say. It’s not even a question. I’m not even that angry, that just means more work for me. “It’s fine, I’ll find it. Next time, mark the grave with something small.”</p>
<p>“I’ll help you look,” He says. He’s giving me puppy eyes, and I appreciate the offer. But…</p>
<p>“I could use your help here actually. He’s going to be pissed that I’m getting rid of him. You saw the salt on the door?” I wait for Dio to nod again. “It’ll keep him out. You’re probably immune to it. Whatever you do, don’t let anything break any of those lines. Just keep Giorno from getting too scared.”</p>
<p>“I’ll do my best. I’m s-”</p>
<p>“Shut up,” I cut him off. “Don’t apologize for this. It isn’t your fault.” I’m not even lying to comfort him. Not that I would lie in the first place. This whole thing we’ve got is too important. Hell, even if I didn’t enjoy having Dio as a friend, it’s helping me find Cas.</p>
<p>“And no, not even because you killed them. Don’t blame yourself. It happens, and that’s why we have me,” I say as he opens his mouth again. He shuts it again and nods at me, smiling. He looks so damn tender. </p>
<p>I would enjoy the moment longer but I have work to do. Downstairs I find another stash of salt that I hid. I’m not paranoid, just cautious. That’s what I’ll tell Dio if he finds one of these at least. Or if he asks where all the salt came from. I don’t really need to justify myself though, do I? I’m not doing anything wrong. </p>
<p>I’m outside now and grabbing a shovel. Well, if I’m going to do this I might as well start now while I’ve got plenty of moonlight. This is going to be a long, long fucking night, all by myself. God, I wish I had Sammy to help. Why the hell did I have to be stupid enough to leave him behind. I miss him. No, shut up Dean. This isn’t the god damn time. Come on, get to digging.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p> </p>
<p>From my watch it’s been four fucking hours. I’ve been digging since 9 pm. Where the fuck could he have possibly buried them? Why couldn’t he have marked it with something. Even just a little stone, for god’s sake. It’s getting so much harder not to be mad when I’m sweating and covered in dirt, and it’s been 4 hours of nonstop digging. Fuck.</p>
<p>I’m starting a new hole. Every time, I’ve hoped it’ll be the last one. My arms hurt so bad. I want to sleep for a year. Hell, I haven’t slept in.. how long now? I woke up at 6. Jesus, that’s 19 hours. I’ve died almost that many times, if my count is right. I’ve been up longer than this, but you know, I’m getting up there in age. It’s getting harder and harder to pull shit like this. How the hell did Bobby do it?</p>
<p>Finally! After 4 hours and 45 holes in my backyard. I hit a box. It’s some kind of wood, which is good. Easy for me to get into. Thanks Dio. I really should’ve given him some kind of talk about what to do with remains. Doesn’t matter now though, I’ve already hopped out of the hole. Now for the easy part. </p>
<p>The bones are burning before I know it. It’s finally over. And I have all these holes to fill in. I’ll get sleep after. Might as well make my yard presentable again. As soon as the bones are done, I start with that hole, filling the dirt back over it and placing some stones on it. Maybe some artsy type might like my little pile and buy the house. You’re welcome for getting rid of the ghost. </p>
<p>It takes me three more hours to fill all 45 holes back in. It’s 4:30 in the god forsaken morning. The sun will probably be up soon. I need to go inside and clean up. But first, I need to check on Giorno. He’s gone through a lot in one night. I feel bad for dragging Dio into this too, but I did need someone to stay with Giorno. So I guess I shouldn’t feel that bad. </p>
<p>They’re still in my bedroom. Giorno looks up from a book as I walk in, Dio following his lead. I lean against the wall. I’m probably leaving a mark. I’ll clean it later. For now I need to know how they’re doing. </p>
<p>“Anything happen while I was gone?” I ask them. </p>
<p>“A few hours ago there was banging on the bedroom door. Terrifying in the moment, but it ended after a while. I assume you were successful?” Dio responds. </p>
<p>“Yeah. Giorno?” I say, directing my attention to him. “Do you know what I was doing?”</p>
<p>He shakes his head. “I had to salt and burn what was left of him. It purifies him and sent him to… wherever he’s gonna go.” Giorno looks at me and nods, eyes wide. He’s probably too tired to talk. </p>
<p>Dio glances at me. “You should shower, you look exhausted. I’m sure somebody is at the school, I’ll call them. Giorno hardly slept, I won’t have him going to school like this.” He says. </p>
<p>“Yeah, sounds good,” I reply. “I’ll call my boss after I shower. He’ll probably understand if I lie.” </p>
<p>Dio is laughing as I walk out, headed for the bathroom. I toss my dirty clothes into a hamper that Dio found at the store. He’s been great at finding little things for us. I appreciate it, since I’ve never had the eye for that kind of thing. He completes us somehow. </p>
<p>I look as disgusting as I feel. My face and arms are caked in dirt. I’m still sweaty. My clothes were damp. The shower is like the warmest hug that I’ve been missing out on. I don’t want to leave now. And I’m clean, finally. My body, my conscience, my mind. I scrub at my skin, wipe carefully around my crotch. Not about to mess with the pH whatever in there. I feel so good now. I almost missed this feeling after a successful hunt, that sort of euphoria. If only Sam could be here, yelling at me to hurry up. I’d yell back that he should just come shower with me if he’s so impatient. He calls me gross and I laugh at him. </p>
<p>I miss those days, but at the same time I really don’t. I have a stable home now. Deep down I always wanted that. A stable home, a normal job. One that pays me in real money. I’m never worried about where my next meal will come from. I have a kid too! I always wanted a son to pass on my, I don’t know, manliness onto. I didn’t expect the husband, or the fact that he’s not Cas. But that’s fine, we’re working on that. </p>
<p>But now that I’m thinking about Giorno, I can’t help but feel wrong. He wasn’t supposed to see this side of me. I tried to push hunting into the past, and it didn’t work. Though next time… if anything else happens I’m finding somebody else. I’m not doing this again. I can’t risk my ass now, not when I have a family. They need me to protect them. And the more I think about it, the more I think I’m more useful as a normal man. </p>
<p>Nobody in Italy knows me, unless they hunt. And even then, I’ve networked local hunters so I can specifically avoid them. Sure, I’m using my legal name. I’m trying for some sort of fresh start here. That was my aim when I made these plans with Dio. I wanted this to be Dean Winchester, normal man. That starts today. </p>
<p>Fuck, I’ve been in the shower for way too long. My boss is probably already up and at the shop, he said he likes to get there early. I get out of the shower as fast as I can and head for the phone. </p>
<p>Just as I suspected, he’s already there. I tell him some half-assed lie that he seems to believe. Giorno was definitely up sick last night, yep. I’d bet 50 bucks that Dio came up with the same excuse. But who cares. I’m so fucking tired. It takes effort to drag myself back up the stairs. </p>
<p>Dio and Giorno are already in our bed. Giorno is obviously asleep, curled up with his face pressed into his dad’s chest. Dio looks up at me. His eyes are barely open and he’s smiling. I throw on some underwear and crawl into bed. I’d put on a shirt, but we already explained me to Giorno, just in case he ever saw me shirtless or, god forbid, without pants. He’s a kid, he’ll ask questions. </p>
<p>It doesn’t matter now. Nothing does. I’m so tired, and they’re so warm. Dio’s arm is pressed against me from underneath Giorno. I reach over and drape my arm across them both, holding them here. They won’t disappear, or get hurt. Not with me here. I’ll protect them and stay with them. Forever.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sike! It's a bonus chapter! Thanks for reading.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! This is the first chapter of the biggest project i have ever taken on. It'll be 14+ chapters, but I'm not quite sure on exactly how many yet. I hope you like it, I'm already working on chapter 3, and I'll be keeping ahead of where I'm posting so I don't lose steam.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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